Evolving Winters
by Fan Of Good TV Shows
Summary: This is the sequel to Finding Amore and will also serve as a fan fic for the Winters/Hamilton family in general. It is set almost 2 years in the future from Finding Amore & will feature Ana & the man she chose. It will also feature several other storylines for the Winters/Hamilton families other characters from core families & original characters. An Ana Hamilton/Winters family fic
1. Chapter 1

**A New Chapter For A New Story**

"Hey baby". Fen says smiling when he sees her face. He had just entered the living room of the mansion, after a housekeeper had let him in.

"Fen, you're home." Ana moves towards him carrying a baby in her arms. She wraps an arm around Fen, and they kiss. Fen puts his arm lightly on her back and looks at the baby and smiles. He gently touches the baby.

"Hey little fellow." He says looking at him. "I haven't seen you in a minute. What's up?"

The baby looks at Fen and smiles. "Aaahhhh..." He coos.

"I missed you too." Fen says laughing. He follows Ana over to the couch.

"I know, I was supposed to meet you elsewhere, but I had to stay a little longer and watch over him." She says indicating to the adorable baby in her arms. He was a precious looking child with dark brown eyes that were bright and expressive, beautiful smooth light brown skin and a very cute smile.

"I actually am glad that I had to stay a little longer, I get to spend a little more time with him." She smiles at the baby. "Isn't that right Kenny?" She asks.

The baby looks at her and puts his hand on her hair.

"The nanny is running late, but she should be here shortly, and then you and I can spend some quality time together." Ana sighs and smiles at Fen. "I've missed you."

Fen nods. "I've missed you too Ana." He tells her smiling. He reaches over and grabs her hand. "But this tour is finally over, and now I can take some time to unwind and just relax for a bit." He rubs her hand. "And spend time quality time with my favorite lady."

Ana nods smiling. "You've earned it. You've worked really hard Fen. This has been yet another successful tour for you..." She gives him a bright smile. "The turnout for this tour was awesome. I was just talking with Devon about it the other day." She pauses and then continues. "You continue to make us proud at Hamilton-Winters."

Fen nods. "Thanks Ana. I always want to make your proud."

"Well you certainly have, and I don't blame you for wanting to take a much deserved break now that this tour has concluded. I think it would be healthy for you to kind of decompress and take a break. Enjoy the fruits of your labor and do a reset before you go back to working on another album... It would be good for you to take a nice break." She pauses thinking for a moment and then continues.

"You know some people take multiple years off, even several years off between successful albums, but you have been really grinding. Two successful albums and tours in almost two years. You've really worked like a beast..." She praises him. "You really had done excellent work." She turns to look at Kenny and smiles. "Right, Kenny?" She asks holding him. "Aren't we proud of Fen?" Kenny makes a face and then smiles again.

"I will take that as a yes." Ana says smiling at him and then turning to smile at Fen.

"He has dimples like your mother." Fen remarks smiling, lightly pinching Kenny's cheek.

"He does." Ana says.

Just then the doorbell rings. "That must be the nanny, Kim." Ana goes to the door, with Kenny still in her arms.

"Sorry, I'm late." Kim says as she comes through the door.

"That's okay." Ana says smiling. "It gave me the opportunity to spend more time with this little guy." She looks at Kim.

"I love spending time with my nephew." She expresses happily. She talks with Kim some more and then ends up kissing Kenny and handing him over to her. "I love you so much and I promise to spend more time with you." Ana tells her baby nephew. She talks to the nanny a bit more and then the Nanny leaves the room with Kenny to change his diaper.

Ana then turns to Fen. "Okay, well Kim will be taking care of Kenny. And Devon will be flying in later tonight. I know he can't wait to be back. He probably misses his son like crazy." She pauses. "And Kenny's mother also misses him too and should be back in a few days as well."

Fen nods. "I hear that, I know what's it's like to miss someone you love like crazy." He gives Ana a loving glance. "So…" He begins. "Are you ready for me to take you out?"

Ana nods. "Yeah, we can do that. Where are we going, our usual place?" Ana was referring to the Thai restaurant her and Fen liked to go to sometimes.

"That's actually closed for renovations." Fen informs her.

"Really?" Ana says disappointed.

"Yeah…" Fen says. "I checked and that is what I was told." He informs her.

Ana nods understanding. "Okay, well… how about Society?" She suggests. "We can go there and have a nice dinner…"

Fen nods. "We could go there or maybe Top of the Tower?" He suggests.

Ana makes a face and smiles. "Top of the Tower?" She asks.

Fen nods. He then gently grabs her and pulls her into his arms. "I want to you to a place that is a bit fancier tonight, because I…. uh…" He pauses. "I. uh… haven't seen you in a bit and I just want to take you to a really nice place."

Ana wraps her arms around his neck. "Okay, I'm definitely fine with that." They look into each other's eyes and kiss.

Ana sighs. "Man, I have missed you." She admits to him.

Fen nods. "Likewise." He states. "Ana, I know it's been a little over a month since we've last spent time with each other in person."

"But it feels like longer." Ana finishes. They smile at each other and Ana's gets her stuff and they go to dinner.

After Fen and Ana have their dinner at Top of The Tower Restaurant, they decide to have a walk in Chancellor Park. They walk together hand in hand enjoying the nice breeze.

"Ahhh… this breeze feels so good." Ana remarks closing her eyes and enjoying the breeze against her face.

"It does." Fen agrees. "It's just nice to be out here in this weather, spending time with the woman that I love." He says smiling at her. They walk a little more and then see a bench.

"Let's go sit down for a moment, Ana, I want to talk to you." Fen leads her over to the bench and they sit down. They turn to face each other, and Fen leans forward a bit.

Ana looks at him and smiles. "What is it Fen, What's on your mind?" She asks as she looks at him.

Fen takes her hands and looks thoughtful. "Quite a bit..." He sits up a little. "Like you said I just need to really decompress from this latest tour."

Ana nods understanding. "You've really have been grinding it out. And now you have the chance to sit back and take it easy for a while. And relax..."

Fen nods. "Yeah... I enjoyed touring again, but I have to admit, I'm glad it's over. And I can take a break for a bit." He squeezes her hand. "And being able to see you the times you were able to visit me on tour, helped me get through it even more."

Ana nods again and smiles. "I knew you'd be on the road for a while and I had to find some the time to fly out and see you. I needed to spend some time with my man." She says.

Fen smiles. "And I'm glad you did. I loved seeing you. I always love seeing you and spending time with you…" His voice trails off. He takes a big breath and looks her in her eyes and smiles and then asks a question. "Ana, have long have we been together?" He asks.

Ana makes a face thinking. "Let's see Fen, we've been together 21 months."

Fen nods taking that in. "21 months. Almost two years…." He looks down at their hands together. "That's a good of amount of time…."

Ana turns her head to the side and looks at him smiling. "It feels like we've together longer."

Fen nods. "It does." He then pauses thinking some more. "And in these past 21 months, I've done everything that I could to try and prove myself to you. As a musician and as a man."

Ana nods, her face becoming, serious as she's listening to Fen. "Yes, baby you have…"

Fen continues. "Yeah, I've tried to do that through my work and my actions. And I feel like I've had success with those things."

"Two successful hit albums, multiple successful tours, a few Grammy nods, including a couple of wins... and a couple of American Music Awards." Ana says grinning, rifling off Fen's achievements. She then laughs. "Though you almost didn't get to finish your speech for one of your AMA's because one of your overzealous fans tried to rush the stage to congratulate you."

Fen laughs remembering that moment. "Yes that was crazy." He acknowledges.

Ana shakes her head nodding. "Yes, it was..." She agrees. "But all in all I say.. you have done pretty well for yourself Fen."

Fen smiles. "Yes, and I'm proud of those accomplishments."

"And I could not be prouder of you." Ana tells him. "As an artist and… and as my man". She says looking at him beaming.

Fen nods. "I'm glad. I wanted to make you proud. I've _always _wanted to make you proud, Ana." He expresses to her. "Almost everything I do is largely for you. I mean… I've worked hard so that I can build a better life for myself, but also so I could build something better for us." He looks at Ana, giving her a serious look.

Ana listens to him. "Yeah you have certainly done that… I mean you are certainly are building up a nice career as an artist with Hamilton-Winters." She remarks proudly.

"Yes, but I wanted to build something for us personally as well." Fen says looking down at their hands together again and then back up Ana. "I wanted to be able to give you a good life."

Ana makes a face, confused for a moment by his statement, and then she smiles. "Oh, Fen I do have a good life." She remarks happily. "And I'm happy you're a part of it."

Fen nods. "Baby, I know. You're a smart, talented, hard-working woman, that has helped build that for yourself..." He pauses for a moment. "But I wanted to be able to make sure that I could also provide you with a good life... and try and make the life you have even better." He expresses in a very serious tone.

A thoughtful look comes across Ana's face as she wonders where Fen is going with this conversation. "Oh, Fen. You have made my life better." Ana says giving him a reassuring look.

Fen becomes quiet for a moment thinking about how he wanted to say what he wanted to say next. He looks at her and gives her a sincere look. "Good...And I couldn't imagine my life without you… And that is one of the reasons why I have worked so hard for you...". He stops for a moment and a very thoughtful look comes across his face. "And now I want to ask you something…" Ana sits up and looks at him curiously. "What is it?" She asks.

Fen takes another deep breath and goes for it. "Well… like we talked about, now is the time for me to take a break and reset things now that this latest tour is over."

Ana nods. "Right, you get to take a much-deserved break."

Fen nods. "Yes, I want to do that, and I want to reset and look even more towards the future. I want to take steps towards building even more towards my future. I want to look to start a new chapter in my life."

Ana nods again listening. "And I know you were saying you wanted to focus a bit more on other things. Like monitoring some of the businesses you have invested in. Like the one that you and Xavier were telling me that you guys invested in that is doing really well." Ana smiles at Fen.

"Now you have some time to focus more on things like that and try build an even bigger nest egg for yourself." She suggests.

Fen nods. "Yes, that. OF course I want to do that. But I also want to start a new chapter personally… And I want to start it with you." He declares firmly.

Ana eyes widen when he says that. "You want to start a new chapter with me?" She asks.

"I do." Fen confirms. He lets go of her hand for a moment and then stands up. He moves slightly away from the bench. He gets down on one knee and reaches into his pocket and pulls out a box.

"I want to start a new Chapter with you... _as my wife_…." Fen opens the box. "Ana you know how much I love you." He proclaims. "I'm _madly_ in love with you. … And I want to share the rest of my life with you..." He pauses for a moment and continues to go for it. "So... Ana will you marry me?" He asks looking up into Ana's face. "Say, you'll be my wife." He smiles as he looks at her and waits for an answer.


	2. The Answer To His Question

**The Answer To His Question**

Ana feels her heart race as she looks at Fen, while he is kneeling and proposing to her. "_Oh, Fen_…" She says, putting her hands to her face, a bit surprised but happy.

"Say you'll marry me." He repeats smiling at her and giving her a hopeful look. "I think we are made for each other and I know you would be a great wife for me. And I would do my absolute best to be a great husband to you... He looks into her eyes hoping she would agree regarding his feelings. "So be my wife Ana and make my life complete." He asks.

Ana feels herself getting emotional. Tears well up in her eyes.

"Yes!" She answers him. "Yes, Fen I will marry you!" She exclaims happily.

Fen grins. "Yes!" He slips the beautiful ring on her finger and gets off of his knee. He sits back down on the bench and leans forward and kisses her passionately. They wrap their arms around each other, and they kiss for a bit. They finally pull apart and Ana looks down at her ring. She holds her hand out and admires the beautiful princess cut diamond ring. "Oh, Fen it's _gorgeous!_" She exclaims.

"Like you." He remarks, grinning. He leans against the seat and puts his arm around Ana. She leans towards him and they put their heads together.

"I'm getting married!" Ana exclaims excitedly. And then a bunch of thoughts start running through her head. "Oh, my goodness, I have so many people to tell, so much I want to do!" She exclaims happily.

Fen touches her hair. "And I'll be right here with you." He promises her.

"Wait until till my parents hear!" Ana exclaims.

Fen smiles. "They know." He tells her slyly.

Ana sits up a little on the bench and looks at Fen surprised.

Fen nods. "Yeah, I actually asked both of them before I proposed." He admits to her.

"Really?" Ana asks smiling.

"Your dad was totally on board, your mom on the other hand…" Ana gives Fen a look.

"Was on board as well. She approved too." He says and laughs, enjoying teasing her a little.

Ana sighs happily and laughs as well. "_Fen_…." She smiles. "We have so much to do and talk about regarding this wedding."

Fen nods and looks at her. "Right."

"Like what type of wedding it will be. Is it going to be in a church, or the outside?" Ana ponders. "I kind of like the thought of an outside wedding." Ana comments excitedly.

"Whatever you want..." Fen says. "I just want you to be my wife." He leans towards her and smiles mischievously. "You know if you even wanted to elope, that would be fine with me." He admits lightheartedly.

Ana looks into his eyes and then makes a face. "Oh, Fen you're not serious." She says, and then laughs. "We can't elope… I mean my family would want to be there."

Fen smiles. "Yeah, I know, and my family would want to be there as well." He laughs. "I'm teasing you, well kind of … I just wanted to make sure you know you have options." He jokes.

Ana smiles. "Yeah…" She touches her lips. "Yeah, but you know... I don't really want a long engagement." She admits truthfully.

Fen smiles and shakes his head. "I don't want a long one either." He also admits honestly. "I would marry you tomorrow, if I could."

Ana smiles again. "Well, we couldn't do it as quickly as tomorrow, but we don't have to drag it out or anything." She states in a matter of fact manner.

Fen takes her hand and kisses it. "No, we _don't_. We can get this wedding planned in a reasonable amount of time, without dragging it out too long."

Ana nods. "Agreed. I really can't wait to be your wife." She says to Fen.

Fen grins. "I'm so happy to hear that, because I can't wait to be your husband." He gives her an excited look. "I'm ready to share a home with you, and wake up to every single day, at least every day we're not away on business or something. I mean living in two different residences, like we've been doing…" He shakes his head.

"Made sense, one reason given we both have been busy with our careers and you've were gone quite a bit at times…" Ana remarks astutely.

Fen nods. "Yeah, but now that we are going to be married, and I get a chance to reset and settle down a bit, we can live in one place together." He pauses and then continues. "We can finally come together and combine our stuff; under one roof."

Ana nods. "I like that." She smiles. "I can move in with you in your apartment."

Fen nods. "That sounds good." He shrugs. "I mean when we are together, you have spent quite a bit of time over there any way. And you often leave your stuff over there." He reminds her smiling.

"Now, I can just keep my stuff over there legitimately." Ana says and they laugh. Ana thinks some more and then she smiles again.

"Oooh, and our honeymoon… Where will we go...?" She ponders.

"Wherever you want." Fen says smiling at her.

"I want to go somewhere maybe overseas. Definitely another country." Ana tells him.

Fen nods. "That sounds good. And hopefully wherever that is, it has a beach…" He looks at her. "I'm not going to lie; I want to be on a beach somewhere. You, and me relaxing with some drinks on the beach, that would make me happy."

Ana laughs. "I think we can arrange that." Her and Fen talk some more and excitedly discuss their wedding plans, looking forward to becoming husband and wife.


	3. New Hopes and Expectations

** New Hopes and Expectations**

"It's _gorgeous_, Ana." Summer says holding Ana's hand, admiring her engagement ring. "Fen picked a beautiful ring, and you deserve it. I'm so happy for you guys." Summer hugs Ana.

"Thanks girl." Ana says hugging her back. She gives Summer an excited look. "And I was wondering... if you'd like to be my maid of honor?" Ana asks.

A big smile breaks across Summer's face. "Would I? Of course. Girl." They hug again. "I mean I helped get you guys together." Summer brags, laughing. She flashes back to the conversations she had in the past encouraging Ana to admit she had feelings for Fen.

"Remember when I got you to admit your feelings for Fen and told you someday you would thank me for that?" Summer asks. "It felt like that was just yesterday."

Ana puts a hand to her face and pretends to think. "No, I don't remember that..." She jokes. She then nods and laughs. "Yeah, I remember that conversation." She acknowledges.

"Well that is today!" Summer says and hugs Ana again. "But…" Summer's voice trails off. "Do you think you have a dress that could fit me?" She rubs her growing belly. "I am getting bigger and bigger. And by the time you and Fen's wedding happens, who knows how big I will be." She muses.

"You look fine." Ana tells her laughing. "You're a very pretty, pregnant woman. We can find a dress that will work for you." She assures her.

"Great." Summer smiles and touches her belly again. She was four and a half months pregnant and expecting her first child with her husband Lincoln Lattimore. The two women sit down at Society, ready to have lunch together and catch up on their lives.

"So... when are you guys planning on getting married?" Summer asks.

"Maybe within like a month or so." Ana tells her. "I know that's faster, than a lot of couples wed, but we don't want a long engagement." Ana informs her. "We want a nice ceremony with our family and friends and then we want to start our new life together as husband and wife."

Summer nods. "I hear that. And you guys have been together for a while, no need to drag out an engagement." She gives Ana a knowing look. "Especially when you've known each other for a while and love each other."

Ana nods. "Yeah, we just want to get the ball rolling and start our new life together."

Summer smiles again. "Well, if you want any advice on how to put together a quick wedding, let me know. I planned mines and Lincoln's in less than a couple of weeks." Summer states. "So, helping you plans yours will be a piece of cake."

"I could take some pointers from you." Ana says. The two women laugh and order lunch. After they finish ordering lunch, Summer looks up from the menu and smiles at Ana.

"So, I have some important events that I need to help plan." Summer tells Ana. "Not only helping you with your wedding, but also finish putting together a wedding anniversary for my in-laws." She informs Ana. "That's going to be happening in a few days."

"Oh Really?" Ana asks curiously. "How many years have they been married?" She asks curiously.

"It will be their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary." Summer informs Ana.

"Wow." Ana exclaims impressed. "_Consecutively?_" She asks jokingly.

Summer nods. "Girl, yes."

"I can hope to be married that long." Ana says smiling.

"Me too." Summer states and laughs.

A thoughtful look then comes across Summer's face. "I love my in laws and I'm happy to throw this party for them. They are so happy they are going to be grandparents."

"As are your parents, I'm sure." Ana states.

Summer nods. "Yeah, my parents were a little in disbelief at first, and couldn't believe that I am making them grandparents, but they are happy for me. Especially my dad." She pauses thinking about Nick for a moment. "You know he's been having a rough go the past several months, and this is a bright spot for him." Summer admits to Ana.

Ana nods understanding. "I'm glad you could bring your parents some happiness. It is a big change, but a good change."

Summer nods and makes an admission to Ana. "I have to confess, I'm a bit nervous to be a mother but I am also excited."

"I think you will be a good mother." Ana tells her supportively.

"Thanks Ana." Summer smiles at her and then her expression becomes thoughtful again. "It's important for me to be a good mother to my child, because I want us to be close. I don't want us to be like…" Her voice trails off. And she looks off into the distance frowning.

Ana notices this. "Be like what?" She asks curiously.

"Be like my husband and his biological mother." Summer tells her. "My husband doesn't really get along well with his biological mother."

Ana nods understanding. "I know you've mentioned that before." She recalls.

"Yeah, they have such a strained relationship, because she wasn't really there for him growing up. And she's floated in and out of his life." Summer sighs. "Plus, she's tried to take advantage of him in the past...Their relationship is just not good."

"Well, no doubt you will be a much better mother to your child than that." Ana remarks to Summer.

"Yeah, I definitely intend to be." Summer taps her fingers on the table and then decides to confide in Ana about something else. "You know since I have become pregnant, she has reached out to me." Summer reveals.

Ana raises her eyebrow. "Really?" She asks.

Summer nods. "Really." She confirms. "She says she wants to get to know her first and only grandchild."

"_Oh._" Ana remarks. "And have you mentioned that to Lincoln?" She asks.

Summer sighs. "I have and he's just…. he doesn't really want to talk about that. But…I wonder if, well... I think that maybe he should consider reconciling with his mother." Summer grows thoughtful. "I mean she is his biological mother. And is one of my child's grandparents. My child may have questions about her some day."

Ana nods. "That's understandable. But you know you want to be careful. Especially since Lincoln has such a rocky relationship with her." She advises.

Summer nods. "Yeah, but maybe I can help bridge the gap between him and her. And they can get to a healthier place with each other. Heck maybe this baby can help them do that." Summer muses.

Ana makes a face thinking. "Maybe. Hopefully, everything will work out for you guys." The ladies chat some more and then Fen and Lincoln arrive.

"There are our men." Summer says smiling at them. She stands up and kisses Lincoln. Lincoln looks down at her feet and frowns.

"Summer... _heels_." He says pointing at her shoes.

Summer rolls her eyes and then looks at him and then Ana. "Lincoln doesn't really want me wearing heels during this pregnancy." She touches his face. "He's so overprotective."

"She almost tripped the other day in a pair of heels, and it freaked me out." Lincoln tells Fen and Ana. "Thankfully, I was around, and I caught her..." A nervous look comes across his face. "I don't want anything happening to her or the baby. And I've read some scary stories about things that have happened to pregnant women in heels…"

"It will be okay baby…" Summer says laughing.

"Can you at least wear shorter heels?" He asks concerned.

Summer sighs. "Okay, I can do that, and I can mix up my look with other types of shoes... Maybe as I get bigger, I will eventually just give up heels altogether for the duration of the pregnancy." A thoughtful look crosses her face. "We'll see."

She then turns to Fen and smiles. "How are you doing Fen?" She asks. "I heard you got engaged. Congratulations." She hugs him. "You are a lucky man." She tells him.

"Don't I know it." Fen says and goes around to the table and kisses Ana. "I really am." Everyone sits down, and the men order them some lunch as well. The two couples talk and catch up with each other, enjoying their meal together.


	4. Checking In On A New Friendship

**Checking In On a New Friendship**

"How have you been feeling lately?" Lily asks Nick as they are sitting together at Crimson Lights. They were having breakfast together and catching up.

"Good." Nick tells her taking a sip of his coffee. He looks down at his cup and lightly taps the side with his fingers. "I mean much better."

He thinks for a moment and then continues. "You know I thought that going back to Newman would be kind of weird, but it's not. I am actually enjoy settling back down their again and picking up the ropes." He admits to Lily.

Lily looks at him and smiles encouragingly. "I'm glad to hear that Nick. And it probably helps that you're working closely with your sister again…" She speculates.

"And don't have my father lingering over my head…" Nick finishes. "You know it really does feel different ever since Dad finally stepped away and let Vic run the company." Nick informs her.

Lily nods. "Yeah. I'll bet. Newman probably does have a different feel now that your father has stepped down."

Nick nods. He makes a face reflecting on things. "It really does. There isn't as much tension in the air, things feel a bit more free over there." He then laughs.

"Now don't get me wrong, Victoria is serious about being CEO and running the business. She runs a tight and efficient ship over there, but things still feel a bit more..., I don't know calmer." He pauses for a moment and smiles. "Things are a bit more relaxed now that she has taken over." …

"I'll bet." Lily says smiling at him.

"Dad finally letting her take over, made my decision to return to Newman easier." Nick thinks again and then frowns.

"But even if dad hadn't finally decided to step down, I still would have considered going back to Newman over working for my low life of a brother at Dark Horse." He grimaces. "The thought of working for him makes me ill. Especially considering all that he's done to me. Taking my company and…" His voice trails off and he sighs.

"Getting custody of Christian." Lily finishes for him. She reaches out and lightly touches his arm. "I know losing Christian, really hurt you Nick." She tells him comfortingly.

Nick closes his eyes and frowns and then opens them. "It did, Lily. Several months later and it still _hurts_."

Lily looks at him understanding. "I know." She expresses sympathetically.

"And I just couldn't work with my brother. Even though he offered me an olive branch …" Nick uses quotations marks when he says olive branch. "For the good of the family..." Nick shakes his head.

"You know Lily he is so full of it… I believe he offered me another shot of working at Dark Horse, because he likes to lord over the fact that he took my company and Christian."

Lily nods listening. "But you didn't take the bait."

Nick shakes his head. "No, I didn't." He states empathically.

Lily smiles. "You took my advice and took some much-needed time to reset your life and figure out what it is you really wanted to do."

Nick looks at her and smiles. "And that was really good advice, Lily." He pauses and continues. "And I just want you to know, I have really appreciated your friendship these past several months. You really helped me when I was going through a dark place."

Lily smiles again. "I saw a person going through a dark time and I had to step in and help. I've been there…" She pats Nick's arm. "I'm just glad things have gotten better for you."

Nick smiles. "Me too…. He pauses thoughtful for a moment. "And I'm glad to have a friend like you, Lily who has helped support me."

"I'm glad I could be of help." Lily tells him. They talk for a bit more and then a familiar face comes through the door of Crimson Lights and heads over to their table.

"Hi, mom." Mattie says smiling at her mother.

"Mattie!" Lily exclaims happily. She gets up and hugs her daughter.

"I'm so glad to see you." She grabs Mattie by the hand. "I'm so glad you're home."

"Me too, mom." Mattie says. She pulls up a chair and sits in between Nick and Lily.

"How it's going Nick?" She asks Nick smiling.

"Pretty well, actually." Nick says smiling at her. "How are things going for you?" He asks her. "Your mom had told me you were pretty excited to be starting work at Jabot in a few days."

Mattie smiles brightly. "I am. I am really excited about starting this next Chapter in my life." She rests her hands lightly on the table. "Now that I have graduated from college, I am ready to start my life as working woman. I want to help make my impact on the business world."

Lily puts her hands together and smiles proudly. "Mattie applied for and was accepted at positions for different companies. But she finally settled on Jabot." She informs Nick.

Nick nods. "I think I heard you applied to Newman. We would have been happy to have you on board. I know you are a bright young lady and could really add a lot to our company." He tells her encouragingly.

Mattie nods. "I did. But I decided on Jabot. I know they focus a lot on women and have been about empowering women. And creating products that help do that. And… well... I want to be apart of that." Mattie says smiling brightly.

Nick nods. "I hear that, though if you ever change your mind, we definitely have a place for you at Newman."

"Thank you." Mattie says smiling.

"And she also always has a place at Hamilton-Winters." Lily says looking at her and smiling. A somber look then comes across Lily's face and she reminisces. "You know that is what your grandfather wanted for you." Lily tells Mattie giving her a poignant look. "He wanted for you to work at Hamilton-Winters and some day along with your brother and Moses help run the company."

Mattie nods and a sad look comes across her face. "Yeah, I know. I miss grandad." She expresses sadly.

Lily reaches over and pats Mattie's hands. "I do too sweetie." Everyone is quiet for a moment as they reflect on the passing of Neil who had passed away about two years ago.

"He was a great man, and definitely wanted the best for his family." Nick interjects remembering Neil.

"That he was." Lily says.

Mattie nods thinking. "You know mom, I will always appreciate the offer of working for grandad and Uncle Devon's company, but for right now Jabot is where I want to start out at, but…" Mattie pauses for a moment and then gives her mother a smile. "Who knows where I may end up at. I may end up working for the family company some day after all."

Lily smiles. "That would be great…" She sighs. "But you do you, and if that is working for Jabot right now. I totally respect that. You and your brother may have chosen different career paths than working at Hamilton-Winters but that doesn't mean I will support you any less. I am proud of both of you and will continue to support you in whatever it is you want to do."

"Thanks mom." Mattie says and reaches over and hugs Lily.

Nick then looks down at his watch. "Okay, I have to get going to Newman. I will see you ladies later." He tells them getting up. He smiles at both of them.

"See you later, Nick." Lily says smiling at him.

"See you." Mattie tells him.

"Good Luck." Nick says to Mattie and leaves.

Mattie looks at him walking away for a moment and then turns to Lily and smiles. "So, you're having breakfast with Nick again, so this is a thing you guys do." She remarks giving Lily a sly look.

Lily rolls her eyes and smiles. "Not _this_ again, Mattie I told you we are just friends." Lily insists.

Mattie makes a face and shrugs her shoulders. "I mean you have been spending quite a bit of time with him the last several months and I just wondered if it was going anywhere." She ponders curiously.

Lily shakes her head. "Mattie we are just friends. I mean I saw someone who was in a dark spot and I reached out to him."

"And it became a friendship and now you guys spend quite a bit time together, including scheduling coffee dates." Mattie remarks in a matter of fact manner. She pauses for a moment and then becomes thoughtful. "It's okay to want to move on Mom, whether it's with Nick or someone else." Mattie puts her hands on her face for a moment thinking some more.

Lily laughs. "Oh, I'm glad to have your permission to move on Mattie." She sighs. "I'm not a hermit you know. I go on dates sometimes." She informs her daughter.

Mattie makes a face. "But none of that ever goes anywhere. And I just well... mom, you have a lot to offer and I want you to be happy. I want you to find you someone special like…" Mattie's voice trails off.

Lily nods understanding. "Like your father has." She finishes.

"Yes, like Dad. I mean dad has been living a happy life in Europe, and I want the same for you." Mattie pauses and thinks some more. "I mean dad has found happiness in a new relationship, and so has Uncle Devon... and now Ana is engaged to Fen..." Her voice trails off.

Lily makes a face. "And now you're worried about your dear old mother, because I am one of the members of this family, that is not booed up". She says sarcastically.

Mattie makes a face. "Well..." She gives her mom a sincere look. "I want you to be happy and living the best life you can live."

Lily smiles and then reaches over and touches her arm. "Oh, Honey you and your brother are my best life."

Mattie smiles. "Oh, mom, we know, but we still want you to be happy. And if that's getting you a man, then we'll get you man..." Mattie suggests.

Lily laughs. "Okay, if I want a man, I will get my own." She shakes her head. "And… shouldn't I be giving you this talk?" She says looking at her daughter. "My beautiful, intelligent, single daughter. I feel like I should be having this talk with you."

Mattie smiles. "Oh, mom, I'm not really thinking about dating right now. I want to get my career started." Mattie tells her firmly.

"Okay, but it's okay to have fun and get yourself a boyfriend, or just get to know a nice guy." Lily gestures towards her. "I mean you're young and you don't have to rush into anything." Lily tells her.

Mattie nods. "I know, but I'm not really doing that right now."

Lily gives her a look. "So, no one special, huh?"

Mattie shakes her head bashfully. "No." She admits.

"Well, you're a great girl, and men will come knocking at your door. I can promise you that." Lily says touching her hand.

"Especially as you get out there into the real world. All types of men will be interested in you and I know that I raised you well..." Lily pauses and smiles encouragingly. "You will choose the rights ones to interact with and date." Lily gives her a big smile. "You'll find someone good for yourself to date, when you are ready. I know you will." She assures her daughter.

"Oh, mom..." Mattie says and smiles. Her face then becomes serious again. "I really am just focused on starting my career right now." She repeats. "Romance and stuff can come later, I guess." She muses.

Lily laughs. "You _guess_? Yeah… okay..." Lily pauses and thinks for a moment. "I don't have to guess. I _know._"

Mattie smiles. "Uh… we'll see."

Lily nods. "Yeah, you'll see. But for now, I can totally understand you wanting to focus on your career. I get it." Lily takes a sip of her drink. "And hopefully you will meet some new and good people at Jabot that will help you. You already know Jack and Billy and Kyle…"

Mattie nods. "Yeah..."

Lily smiles. "And you should meet some new people as well..." A thought then hits Lily's mind. "Speaking of, there is actually a young man that was hired at Jabot and should start around the same time you will. He's Summer's brother in law." Lily pauses thinking some more about the information she knew regarding the young man.

"His name is..." Lily continues to think for a moment "Monty. Monty Lattimore. And actually, one of his brothers, Summer's other brother in law, is a well-known filmmaker. Darryl Lattimore, Jr. Darryl also used to play in the NFL along with Summer's husband." Lily informs her.

Mattie nods. "Yeah Charlie had entered some contest he had for young aspiring filmmakers. The top winning documentary gets to shadow him... as he makes a film." Mattie makes a face. "Or something like that."

Lily nods. "Yes, I remember Charlie telling me about that. He's convinced his documentary will win and then he will be able to shadow him."

"Yeah, he think this will catapult his career." Mattie says making a face, skeptical.

"Hey, your brother is very talented." Lily reminds her. "Let him have his dreams. Like you have yours. And who knows maybe his documentary will be selected. You never know."

Mattie nods. "Yeah and that would make Charlie very happy. So, here's hoping it does work out for him."

Lily nods. "Well Monty is Lincoln and Darryl Jr's brother, and he is one other young person I know that will also starting at Jabot."

"So… someone from a famous family is working there and…" Mattie's voice trails off as she thinks.

"You could meet a new friend." Lily suggests. "Just giving you a name and some background information in case you guys bump into each other there... Which you probably will." Lily guesses.

Mattie makes a face. "Okay, well good to know, but I'm not at Jabot to make friends mom, I'm there to..."

Lily holds her up her hand. "Jumpstart your career. I know. I know." She leans towards Mattie. "But making connections with people in the workplace is not a bad thing. It's good to build a good rapport among your co-workers. It makes your work experience all the much better."

Mattie nods, taking in what her mother is saying. "Okay, noted."

The two women talk some more and then part ways with Lily going to work. They agree to meet up later and have dinner together.


	5. Party Plans and a Potential Party Pooper

**Party Plans and a Potential Party Pooper**

"Hey, you don't need to be lifting that." says a handsome 22-year-old black man. He is tall, and lean but also muscular. He has dark brown skin, attractive dark brown eyes and is sporting a close haircut. He grabs the box from Summer and smiles at her, carrying it over to a table. His eyes carry a certain sparkle to them, that is combination of confidence, happiness and just a little bit of mischief. After he sets the box down, a smile breaks across his handsome mustached face.

"There you go." He tells her. "My brother would be so mad with me, if I watched his pregnant wife carry around boxes and I didn't help." He tells her smiling.

Summer returns his smile. "Thank you. But it wasn't that heavy." She tells him laughing. "Just a few decorations."

"Yeah, but you still don't have to carry it. Not when a Lattimore man is around." He shifts through the box. "And I like I said Linc would have a fit, if he saw you carrying that. He's so protective over you."

Summer sighs and smiles at the handsome young man. "He is. Honestly, he's kind of overprotective." She rubs her belly. "But I get it."

The young man nods. "Un-huh. That's Lincoln. That's our mother in him. If he's worried about you, he will hover and fuss until he makes sure you're through whatever it is you're trying to get through."

He smiles at her. "Just know that he's doing that because he's crazy about you and your child." He shakes his head in amazement. "My little niece or nephew." He smiles again and starts taking some more decorations out of the box.

"One of my big brothers is having a child…" He remarks in almost disbelief. "That's awesome though." He takes more decorations out of the box and starts to bring more things over. He continues to help Summer set up in Society, for the surprise party they were throwing his parents later that day. They had rented out the space for the day, and Lincoln was supposed to meet up with them to help them finish decorating.

"Thank you for helping us." Summer tells him gratefully.

He nods. "Of course. What I would like not helping with my own parents' surprise party?" He asks. "Especially when they have been married for like 250 years." He jokes.

Summer lets a laugh. "_Monty_…." She says laughing some more at her brother-in law.

Monty smiles again and then a more serious look comes across his face. "No, I am happy to be apart of this. I mean how many couples these days can you say have been married for 35 years."

Summer shakes her head. "Not many in this day and age trust me. I know in my family…" Summer's voice trails off. "Let's just say that not too many people can stay together that long and make it work."

Monty nods. "Right, mom and dad are definitely goals. I'm happy to help them but being here the last couple of days with you guys has given me the chance to scope this town out, especially since I will be working here now."

Summer nods. "Are you excited about starting at Jabot?" She asks him.

He nods. "I am. I'm looking forward to this new chapter of my life. Getting out there into the workforce and starting my career. I want to hit the ground running." He tells her.

She nods. "I hear you. And I hope you enjoy Jabot. Jack is like another father to me he's great. And he really appreciates young talent. So, I think you will fit in well there…" Her voice trails off and she thinks for a moment.

"Though if you ever change your mind, there could always be a place for you at Newman too." She gives him a supportive look. "My grandfather founded the company and My Aunt Victoria is now running the company, and my dad works there as well. And you know that I work there too." She reminds him.

Monty nods listening. "Un-huh... I applied to and interviewed at Newman." Monty informs her smiling.

"Really?" Summer asks smiling. "And how'd it go? "She asks him.

"Like everything else goes, I aced it." He says his smile growing brighter. "It seems like a great place to work, but I just feel…" He pauses thinking for a moment. "Like I should be at Jabot. I just got a feeing that I should be there for some reason." He shrugs. "I just have a feeling Summer..., that I'm going to find something really special there." He tells her. "Just a gut feeling. I have."

Summer raises her eyebrows. "Un-huh." They smile and talk a bit more and then Lincoln enters the room.

"Hey there, old man." Monty greets him grinning.

Lincoln looks around. "Dad is here?" He asks. "He's not supposed to show up with mom until this evening."

"No, I'm talking about you man." Monty shakes his hand and then he laughs and the brothers hug.

"I'm just been spending some time with your Missus here." Monty says looking at Summer. "We've been getting some things underway for Mom and Dad's party tonight."

"Can you believe they have been together that long? 35 years." Lincoln says in disbelief. "Almost as long as I've been alive."

"And much longer than I've been alive." Monty says and laughs. "But yeah, that something special, mom and dad they deserve this party. For keeping it together for so long."

"Yeah." Lincoln nods. He then puts his arms and Summer and kisses her. "Maybe one day our own kids, we will be giving us this type of party." He predicts optimistically.

"Hopefully." Summer says leaning into him smiling. Lincoln looks at Monty and smiles. "Maybe you'll also eventually have a party celebrating an event like this little brother." He teases him.

Monty makes a face, thinking. "Maybe… like down the line. But right now, I am going to enjoy being young and single." He gives his brother a wink. "You know what I'm saying."

Lincoln nods. He then looks at Summer and smiles. He looks back at his brother. "But if the right woman comes along you'll change your mind." He says looking at his brother knowingly.

Monty shrugs. "We'll see."

Monty, Lincoln and Summer talk some more continue to decorate the restaurant that they had rented out for the evening. As they are doing that a brunette in her early 50's is spying on them. She watches them laugh and frowns as she sees how close Lincoln and Monty are. And especially when she sees and hears them sharing stories about their parents. She feels like storming over into the group and busting up their happy moment. But she declines not to and continues to watch them, especially Lincoln. She decides to be a little more patient and makes her entrance at another time. She watches them a little more and then slips away. The trio continues to laugh and enjoy preparing for their parents' party later that evening, unaware that the brunette woman had been around.


	6. Anniversary Party Part I Lattimore Reuni

**The Anniversary Party Part I-A Lattimore family reunion**

"Hey, Rosalyn, how it's going?" Nick asks approaching the very attractive 34-year-old black woman that was standing near a table in Society. She was 5'8, with smooth, darker brown skin, dark brown eyes and a vibrant smile. Her long hair was arranged in a pretty updo and she was dressed in a pretty multi-colored striped bodycon dress to celebrate her parents anniversary. He smiles at her.

"You are looking well." He compliments her giving her a big smile.

"Hi, Nick." Rosalyn tells him flashing him a smile. "And Thank you." She tells him graciously. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you in a while." She comments to him.

Nick makes a face and then smiles. "I'm doing alright." He says. "I mean, I'm doing better than...uh the last time you saw me." He admits sheepishly.

Rosalyn nods. "I'm glad to hear that." She smiles. "You look like you're more... relaxed." She observes.

Nick nods. "I am. I took some time to really evaluate things and now I'm back working for my family's company. My dad stepped down and my sister is now CEO." He informs Rosalyn. "I haven't worked for my family's company for a while, but I'm back now and have gotten back into the groove of things. And I'm liking it."

"I'm happy to hear that." Rosalyn tells him. "Sometimes it's good to just take a step back when you need it and really assess things…" She remarks. "And I'm glad you got to do that."

"Yeah." Nick says. "How's work? Is everything going well for you?" He asks her.

"It is." She acknowledges. "All is going well at the television station."

"Good." Nick remarks. "And I want to thank you guys for inviting me tonight." He tells her graciously.

Rosalyn nods. "Of course, we are happy to have you be apart of this celebration. Especially since your daughter is a part of our family. And is now going to help add another member to it." She tells him happily.

Rosalyn and Nick chat for a bit more, as more guests start to arrive to Paula and Darryl Lattimore's Sr's. party.

"Hey sis." Monty says as he comes over and greets Rosalyn. "You look nice." He tells her.

"Hey Monty." Rosalyn greets her youngest brother with a smile. "You do too." They hug.

"Hey Nick." Monty says and shakes Nick's hand. "How are you doing?" He asks Nick.

"I'm doing fine." Nick tells him. "And how about yourself?" He asks.

"Good." Monty responds smiling. Monty then turns to Rosalyn.

"I'm glad you could make it." Monty tells her.

Rosalyn nods. "Of course, I wouldn't miss Mom and Dad's 35th anniversary party." She laughs. "How I would look if I didn't show up for this party and I am their oldest child." She puts her hands to her chest. "And only daughter". She laughs. And then pauses for a moment. "You know that I am happy to be here for them." She remarks to Monty sincerely.

Monty nods. "Yeah, let's just hope our super busy brother Darryl, shows up."

Rosalyn makes a face. "He should show up."

Monty shrugs. "He should, but he has like 1,000 different projects and you know it can be hard pressed sometimes to get him to come to family events, with his schedule." He reminds Rosalyn

A thoughtful look comes across Rosalyn's face. "Yeah with his film career really thriving, he often has a hectic schedule. But I talked to him a couple of days ago, and he said he will be here. And I believe him." Rosalyn informs Monty.

Monty nods. He chats some more with his sister and Nick as more guests spill into the room, including Victor and Nikki.

"Hello." Nikki says as she and Victor walk over to Nick, Rosalyn and Monty.

"Hi mom." Nick says kissing Nikki on the cheek.

"Hey dad." He says greeting Victor.

"Hello." Rosalyn says greeting both Victor and Nikki. "We are so glad you guys could make it." She tells them.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Newman." Monty says and reaches out and shakes Victor's hand.

"Thank you for inviting us." Nikki says graciously. She looks around Society. "You guys did a lovely job decorating this place." She tells them.

"Thank you." Rosalyn tells her. "We wanted it to look our best for our parents."

Nikki nods and smiles. "A 35th wedding anniversary is such a monumental occasion." She turns to look at Victor. "Isn't that right honey?" She asks.

Victor nods. "Yes, it is monumental indeed." He acknowledges.

Nikki pats his arm. "You know Victor and I have been together a long time." She informs Rosalyn. "We've certainly had our fair share of ups and down. And times where we were apart…" Nikki's voice trails off and she sighs happily.

"But through it all, we have always found our way back to each other. And after all of that and having our children and grandchildren…" She turns to Victor and they smile at each other. "And now with our first great grandchild is on the way… We are stronger than ever." She declares smiling.

"It took us a few tries, but we are still standing, eh. Darling?" Victor looks at her and puts his arm around her and she leans into him smiling. Victor and Nikki talk to Nick and the Lattimore children some more, while more guests start to arrive.

Phyllis arrives next.

"Hello." Phyllis says going over and greeting Rosalyn, Monty, and the others. They smile and acknowledge her.

"It looks nice in here." She observes. She folds her arms and smiles. "When are our guests of honor showing up?" She asks.

"They should be here in about 20 minutes." Rosalyn informs her. "Summer and Lincoln have gone to pick them up." The group chats a bit more and then Phyllis and Nick step off to the side to talk for a moment.

Phyllis gives him a look. "So how you are doing stranger?" She asks him. "I haven't really gotten the chance to talk to you much lately. I hear you are settling back into working at Newman."

Nick puts his hand on his face for a moment thinking. "Yeah, I am."

Phyllis makes a face. "And it's going well?" She inquires.

"It's going fine Phyllis." Nick then puts his hands in his pocket. "I'm getting back into the swing of things, and it's good."

Phyllis nods. "Un-huh." She pats Nick's arm. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. I think it's good for you to be back at Newman." She tells him. "I do believe that is where you belong." She remarks thoughtfully.

He shrugs his shoulders and gives her a look. "It's better than working for my loathsome brother." He frowns. "You know the guy who stole my company and my son… The guy that you have no problem working for."

Phyllis sighs and frowns. "Nick not this again. Adam gave me an opportunity and I took it." She shakes her head and folds her arms. "You know how upset I was a while back when I got ousted from Jabot. And how hard I scrapped to try and find a new opportunity for myself." She then makes gestures with her hands.

"And I kept getting rejected and it really burned me up, Nick." She sighs again. "To know that people didn't want me or appreciate what I had to offer. And then…" Her voice trails off.

"Adam came swooping in with an opportunity for you. An opportunity that came at my expense and at a company that I established." Nick interjects.

"An opportunity that I needed." Phyllis states firmly. "And I'm not going to apologize for that Nick."

Nick shakes his head. "Well you don't apologize for much, that's for sure." He remarks bluntly.

"I mean the opportunity was presented and I took it." Phyllis repeats. "But none of that should matter much now, because you are in a much better place than you were." She comments. "And I'm honestly glad, Nick." She states sincerely. "I know that losing Christian was a tough blow for you…"

Nick frowns. "Don't remind me."

"It was a tough blow, but you came through it. You had a really rocky patch after losing custody of him and I have to admit a lot of us were worried about you for a bit there." Phyllis admits to him truthfully.

"But you came through it. You found your way." She then pauses and thinks a bit about Nick's situation. "Mind you, you didn't lean on me, or even Sharon much, which honestly was a bit surprising…. You chose to lean on Lily…" She makes a face. "But nonetheless you made it through, and I'm glad. I'm glad for your sake, and your kids' sake, including our daughter."

Nick nods, a somber look coming across his face. "Yeah I knew I needed to pull it together for my kids. You know losing Christian really sucked but… I knew that I have other children who needed me to be there for them." He gives Phyllis a serious look. "And even if I wasn't able to completely let go of my anger, I knew I had to curtail it a bit and try and get it together."

Phyllis nods. "Right, because your children needed you. And they still do." She lightly pokes Nick in the arm. "And now you have a grandchild on the way who will also need you." She smiles at him. "So, you still have a lot of people who are depending on you to act right."

Nick laughs. "You are encouraging me to act right. That's funny."

Phyllis makes a face. "Maybe so, but you know I'm right, hypocrisy be darned."

Nick nods again and thinks about her comments. "Can you believe that Supergirl, my Supergirl, our daughter... is going to be a mother?" He asks a bit amazed.

Phyllis's eyes widen a bit. "It's something else. But it's truly amazing and I have to tell you. I can't wait." She confides in Nick smiling. "I mean I've already got to experience being a grandmother because of Daniel, but to see Summer bring her own child into this world, and raise it, is going to be a wonderful thing to watch." She touches Nick's arm and gives him a serious look. "For the both of us." She declares optimistically.

"And…" She continues. "You should look forward to that, instead of stewing in your hatred for Adam." She advises. "I mean I get it and I…"

"Know quite a bit about stewing." Nick remarks knowingly.

Phyllis makes a face. "Right, but don't let the negative feelings you have about Adam get in the way of you enjoying your life and all of the people that you have in it that you value. Like our daughter and grandchild." She advises.

Nick makes a face. "Yeah, it's tough, but I get what you are saying. And I love my children, including Summer. And I will love this grandchild like crazy."

Phyllis nods. "Good. Now let's focus on that and enjoying this party that will be thrown for nice people who will also be our grandchild's grandparents. And…" Phyllis gives Nick a playful nudge. "who have been married longer consistently than either of us could dream of being."

Nick laughs. "Yeah."

Phyllis and Nick talk for a bit longer. A few more last minute guests arrive including Darryl Lattimore Jr, the third and oldest Lattimore son. He is a tall, stockier built 33 year old man. He is a handsome man. He is a lighter brown skinned man, with light brown eyes, and has a short curly tapered afro hairstyle, and a neatly trimmed beard. He was dressed very sharply, in a very nice looking maroon colored suit. He looks as if he's just walked out of an important meeting with someone, as he often did. He takes the gift he has in his hands and places it on the table filled with other gifts for his parents. He then sees his family and heads over to them.

"Oh, looky here." Rosalyn teases him, smiling and folding her arms for a moment. "Glad to see you made it hot shot." She tells him jokingly.

"Hey, Roz." He reaches over and hugs his sister. She hugs him back warmly. "How are you doing?" He pulls away from her and smiles. "You know even with how busy I am, I was not going to miss mom and Dad's anniversary. Thirty-five years is something that definitely needs to be celebrated."

"I knew you were going to make it." Rosalyn says smiling at him. "This one over here was concerned though." She says teasingly indicating to Monty.

"Little brother you know better than that." Darryl Jr. jokingly admonishes him. He hugs his younger brother.

"How you are doing, Monty?" He asks.

"Good." Monty tells him and smiles. "I'm glad you came. Lincoln and Summer should be here with Mom and Dad in a little bit."

The siblings talk some more with each other, including catching up on the happenings in each other's lives. After they talk for a little more, Monty gets a text from Lincoln. He turns to his siblings.

"Lincoln just said they are almost here with Mom and Dad, so we should all be prepared to yell surprise. He will text me again when they are outside of the door." Monty then makes an announcement to the room of guests and everyone is on board. A few minutes later he gets a text from Lincoln saying they are outside of the door of Society. Monty informs everyone in the room.

A couple of minutes later, the Lattimore's siblings' parents, Darryl Lattimore Sr. and Paula enter the room, to a loud group chant of surprise.

They are indeed surprised but happy. They had thought they would be spending the evening having dinner with Lincoln, Monty and Summer. They didn't know that their two other children who had busy schedules would show up and that they would receive a party.

"Hey, Hey...Well this is a nice surprise." remarks Darryl Lattimore, Sr. He is a handsome older man in his late 50s. He is tall and has managed to keep himself in shape, even after he retired from the NFL. He he has lighter brown skin, dark brown eyes, has a close haircut and looks a lot like his oldest son, Darryl Lattimore Jr. He is an intelligent, sharp and confident older gentleman. He looks around the room of people and smiles, and his smile grows even widen when he sees the rest of his children at the center of the room.

"Wow, you guys, this is lovely." Paula Lattimore Darryl Sr.'s wife remarks graciously. She is a lovely looking woman in her late 50's. She has darker brown skin, darker brown eyes, that hold a lot of warmth and kindness in them. She looks a lot like her daughter Rosalyn and also resembles her son Monty. Her hair is long and it is currently styled straight. She is a little shorter than her daughter by about an inch. She smiles brightly at the room, especially at her children.

"Surprise, mom and Dad." Lincoln tells them smiling broadly. "You guys thought you were going to be in just for a quiet dinner, but we wanted to give you guys more. A 35th wedding anniversary deserves more than just a quiet dinner."

"Oh, honey, you guys didn't have to do this." Paula says looking at Lincoln. She reaches over and hugs him.

"But we are kind of glad you did." Darryl Sr. says laughing. He also hugs Lincoln and him and Paula head over to the rest of their children with Lincoln and Summer following behind them.

"I'm so glad you guys are here." Paula says hugging, Rosalyn and then Darryl Jr, and Monty. Darry Sr. also hugs and greets his children. "And you all look so good." Paula remarks smilling brightly at them.

"I didn't think I would see us all together until like Thanksgiving." She remarks honestly. "But I am so glad you came tonight." She repeats happily. "All my loves." She says happily and then leans against her husband. He puts his arms around her and kisses her cheek.

"You had to know we just had to be here, for you guys." Rosalyn tells them happily. "We could not let you celerbrate your 35th anniversary without showing you both what you mean to us. And what an inspiration you are to us." She tells them proudly.

"I just finished working on a movie in Toronto." Darryl Jr. informs them. "My schedule was tight, but I was not going to miss this very special anniversary for you guys." He reaches out and fist bumps his father. "Not too many people can say they have been as married as long as you guys have. Especially not these days." Darryl Jr, then laughs. "And especially not in my world, Hollywood."

"And I was already in town, so I decided to hang around for your party, too." Monty jokes.

Lincoln then puts his arms around both of his parents. "We all wanted to be here with you guys and let you know that we love you." He then releases them and moves over to Summer, putting his arm around her and kissing her. "And I hope to be married as long as you guys are." He tells them.

"We hope that too sweetheart." Paula tells him. "And maybe your little baby can one day throw a party for you guys like you have done for us."

Lincoln looks at Summer and they smile at each other. "That is the hope." He declares optimistically. The Lattimores all talk with each other for a bit more and then get some food and mingle with other guests at the party. After they are all done socializing for a bit, it becomes time for the kids to toast their parents.

Rosalyn goes to the center of the room. "Attention, everyone." She says flashing a radiant smile at the crowd. "On behalf of our family, we want to thank all of you for attending our parent's anniversary party tonight. 35 years together is truly amazing. Let's give it up for them." She instructs and claps her hands. The rest of the people in the room clap their hands, and Darry Sr. and Paula smile.

"Now..." Rosalyn continues. "My siblings and I are going to each toast our parents." She smiles. Rosalyn grabs a glass of champagne. "I guess I will start first." She says. She looks at her parents.

"Mom and Dad." She begins smiling. "You both know how much I love you guys. And I have appreciated all that you have done for me as my parents and role models." She expresses to them graciously.

"The united front and close bond that you two have demonstrated as a couple and as my parents, has always helped keep me grounded." Rosalyn smiles and pauses for a moment, continuing.

"You guys represent a great love, that isn't as common these days. And.. I hope that we all get to experience something like that one day." She lifts her glass and toasts her parents. "Thank you guys for being you, and for being a rock solid example for me and my siblings. I love you guys. Happy 35th." She toasts her parents and everyone smiles.

Next up Darry Lattimore makes his speech for his parents. He thanks them for being an inspiration to him and supporting him through his ups and downs. He thanks them for being there for him and all of his siblings.

"I know with my schedule, I don't see you guys as often as I used to, but it is my pleasure to be here tonight to celebrate this milestone with you guys. I love you." He finishes his speech and toasts the crowd.

Lincoln and Monty look at each other to see who will go next, Lincoln urges Monty to go and says he would like to go last. Monty nods and then toasts his parents. He also praises them for being there for him and being a positive representation of a loving married couple. He finishes toasting them and then it's finally Lincoln's turn to speak.

Lincoln goes to the center of the room and begins to toast his parents. "Mom and Dad." He begins looking at them. "I want to tell you guys how much I love you and how much I appreciate the example you are of a loving long lasting couple." He smiles at them and then looks over at Summer and smiles.

"I hope to have that type of relationship with my own wife and set an example for my children." Paula nods and Darry smile at him. "I appreciate you guys so much for all that you have done for me. You have been my family since I was young." He states. "One of the best things that ever happened to me was when you guys decided to adopt me..."

A somber look then comes across his face. "When my grandmother Evelyn died, I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't find someone to give me the type of love that she did... because my birth parents weren't really in my life like that." He admits. "But thankfully I met you guys when I started playing football and I met Darryl Jr, who became my best friend and later my brother." Lincoln looks over to Darryl Jr, who smiles at him.

"And you helped save me from what I believe would have been a very dark future, had you not came into my life. I'm so glad I have parents like you guys." He pauses for a moment and toasts his glass to them. "I love you and happy 35th anniversary." He toasts them and the crowd claps. After everyone stops, one person starts to clap very loudly.

"Bravo, Bravo." The white brunette woman in her early 50's says as she comes from behind the crowd. She has blue eyes and her hair is styled in a bob. She is an attractive woman, but she carries a troublemaking aura about her. There is a bit of steeliness to her personality.

She had managed to enter the restaurant without any of the Lattimores noticing her. Other people had saw her but assumed she was an invited guest. She steps closer to the center of the room and looks around for a moment her eyes resting on Lincoln. His eyes widen when he sees her. _What is she doing here?_ He wonders to himself.

"Bravo, son." She tells him in a steely tone. '"I'm so glad you are here to acknowledge, your _adopted_ parents." She places a strong emphasis on the word adopted.

"Oh my gosh..." Rosalyn says making a face. "How did she get here?" She asks.

"I see the devil is trying to make waves today." Darryl Jr. says shaking his head. "She is the last person that should be at this party."

"Man, what the heck is she doing here?" Monty asks frowning.

"Darryl..." Paula says turning to her husband. "What is she doing here?" She asks upset. "She has no right to be here." She claims strongly.

Darryl Sr. shakes his head and sighs. "She always has a way of showing up at the least opportune moments."

The brunette looks around the room and then back at Lincoln. "Good job son, toasting your adopted parents. I wish you would give me that type of love... you know being that I'm your birth mother and all." She reveals giving him a harsh look. People in the crowd turn to look at each other sensing that the brunette had arrived to cause trouble and wondering what she was up to.


	7. An Uninvited Guest

**Anniversary Party Part II-The Uninvited Guest **

"Misty what are you doing here?" Lincoln asks stepping a bit closer to her.

"What are you…. no one invited you here." Lincoln remarks upset that she had crashed Darryl Sr's and Paula's party.

Misty lets out a bitter laugh. "Misty? You're still doing that." She touches her chest. "I am your _mother._" She declares firmly. "And you calling me by my first name is not going to change that."

She then rolls her eyes at her son. "And I invited myself." She says curtly. She then goes over and grabs a glass of champagne off of a tray and heads back to the center of the room.

"I had to, considering that you kept ignoring my calls. Shame on you for that by the way." She admonishes him. She then turns and indicates to Summer.

"I sent a few texts to your rich wifey over there. And I got a couple of responds back, about..." Misty moves her shoulders and pauses speaking for a moment. "Oh, saying stuff like I have to talk to Lincoln." Misty shakes her head and takes a sip of the champagne and looks at Lincoln, raising her eyebrow.

"Did the missus talk to you?" She asks. "Or did she keep those texts a secret from you?"

Summer eyes widen and her and Lincoln look at each other.

"I was aware that you reached out to my wife." He tells Misty. "And I did see your calls, but I…I didn't want to talk to you."

Misty shakes her head and scowls. "Because you don't care about me!" She exclaims angrily. She looks around the room and focuses her attention on the rest of the Lattimores who were standing together. She points at them. "You care more about them than me. And I'm your own blood." She declares intensely.

"I have a lot going on, and I didn't really want to talk with you right mow. I'm not trying to entertain whatever drama you want to involve me in." Lincoln says firmly.

Misty takes another sip of her champagne. "Right." She comments. She then walks over to a table and puts her drink down. She comes back over to Lincoln. "You just can't stand me and my drama." She says sarcastically. She also uses quotation marks when she says the word drama. She gestures with her hands.

"I mean, how do you even know that there is any drama going on?" She asks. "Maybe I just wanted to talk with you." She says looking at him. "I mean I know you're having a baby…." She looks at him a bit intensely. "And I would like to get to know my grandchild." She says.

Lincoln sighs and crosses his arms. He rubs his face. "You want to get to know your grandchild?" He asks skeptically. "You didn't even want to get to know me!" He exclaims, his voice getting a bit loud. He gestures towards her. "If you did you wouldn't have floated in and out of my life." He remarks honestly.

Misty sighs. "I've had some issues you know that, but I've tried to make amends, but every time, I've tried... you pushed me away." She claims in a frustrated manner. "How can I make amends when you won't even give me a chance to do so?" She complains.

"Well for starters you don't crash my parent's anniversary party." Lincoln says. He shakes his head at her. "You don't do something like that and take a special moment that my siblings and I planned for them to make it about yourself." He sighs. "That is not the way to get me to talk to you Misty."

Misty closes her eyes and shivers. "I can't stand it when you call me Misty." She opens her eyes. "I just can't."

"Well, you've never been around long enough for me to call you mom and I have a mom." Lincoln indicates to Paula who was watching this drama unfold and was upset and annoyed by Misty's behavior. "That woman over there who finished raising me and has loved me for a large chunk of my life is." Lincoln declares.

Misty turns to look at Paula and scowls. "Yes of course, precious saintly Paula." She says mockingly. She looks back over to where she laid down her champagne glass. "I shouldn't have put that drink down." She remarks bluntly. She then turns and looks back at Lincoln. "She's the reason why you and I aren't close like we should be..." She claims frustrated.

Lincoln's eyes widen. "Are you serious right now?" He asks her very agitated. "Are you seriously blaming my mother for your failure to be a better parent to me?"

"I am your mother!" Misty exclaims. "_I am_. I am the one who went through several hours of hard labor to give birth to you. Me not her." She says briefly turning again and sharply pointing to Paula.

Lincoln sighs and looks at her. While their talk is going on, Paula looks at Darryl Sr. "I can't believe she's hurting him again." She says upset. She then shakes her head. "Oh, yes I can. It's what she does." She clutches her purse.

"I'm going to go over there; I'm not going to let her hurt him again." She starts to make her way over to Misty and Lincoln, but Darryl Sr. puts a hand on her arm, stopping her.

"Paula." He says. "Let him handle it. Let him do this. You going over there might escalate the situation." He warns.

Paula sighs. "But it's so hard for me to watch her…"

"I know baby, but our son... he can handle this. And remember what happened the last time you confronted her." He reminds his wife.

Paula sighs flashing back to that very tense and dramatic moment when her and Misty had a confrontation after Misty had showed up when Lincoln's NFL career had been cut short by an injury.

"Okay, but if she doesn't leave soon, I may be forced to go over there." She warns her husband.

"He'll handle it." Darryl Sr. says patting his wife's shoulder trying to calm her down.

Other people are also taking note of the tense situation between Misty and Lincoln.

"Wow, it looks like someone didn't get the memo that this was supposed to be a joyful celebration." Phyllis remarks sarcastically turning to look at Nick. "And I thought I could be a hot mess." She then makes a face. "I mean I can, but I'd like to think I've grown quite a bit."

Nick frowns as he watches the scene between Misty and Lincoln play out. "I knew that Lincoln had some serious issues with his mother, but yeah, he doesn't really seem to care for her." He observes.

Phyllis makes a face. "And that is who we will be sharing a grandchild with." She and Nick make some more faces and continue to watch the scene unfold.

"That woman is so belligerent." Victor remarks to Nikki frowning. "She should be removed from this occasion." He remarks sternly.

Nikki shakes her head. "I will say she has made quite the entrance." She remarks. "Hopefully though Lincoln will get things under control."

Lincoln and Misty continue to look at each other intensely. "You need to go." He tells Misty.

Misty shakes her head. "Not until you talk to me." She remarks in a determined manner.

"I'm not going to do this now Misty." He sighs and rubs his face. "What is it that you want? Is it money, again?" He asks. "Do you need money? How much? He asks.

Misty frowns and shakes her head. "How dare you insult me like that!" She chastises him. "I have you know that I am doing better financially, and I really do want to reconnect with you and get to know my grandchild." She insists.

Lincoln gives her a skeptical look. "You don't want money?" He asks. He frowns and knows he has to come up with something quick to get her to leave.

"Okay…" He says. "I'll tell you what... I will make you a deal." He tells her.

Misty raises her eyebrows. "What type of deal?" She asks curiously.

"I will make time to talk with you this week, if you leave this party and let my parents and family enjoy the rest of the evening in peace."

Misty puts her hands to her lips pondering his suggestion. "Well, I am in town for a bit and am staying at the GCAC." She informs him. "So… you could stop by there and we could talk." She suggests.

"Or we could even talk over the phone." Lincoln states.

Misty frowns. "Considering that you kept ignoring my calls I think it would be best if we talked in person." She states firmly.

Lincoln sighs. "Okay, we can talk in person." He agrees. "But you need to leave now and let my family and guests enjoy the rest of this evening in peace. Especially my parents."

Misty rolls her eyes again. "You and the concern for your parents." She sneers. She uses quotations marks once again as she says parents.

Lincoln gives her a very serious look. "They are my parents and they mean a lot to me." He declares strongly. "So, do we have a deal or not?" He asks.

Misty sighs. "Okay, but you better come see me. Or else…" She gives him a warning look. "I will come find you again."

Lincoln nods. "I know." He nods again. "So, we have a deal."

Misty nods, and looks around the room. "I didn't want to stay for this stuffy party anyway." She says and starts to storm out of the room. On her way out she looks at Summer.

"Hey, there Missy." She says greets her. "You and I are probably going to be seeing a lot more of each other." She gives Summer a mischievous smile. She then turns and leaves the room. After she's gone, Lincoln addresses the room.

"I apologize for our uninvited guest." He tells them. "But the evening is still young and please everyone continues to enjoy yourselves." He then goes over to his family and talks with them.

"I'm sorry Mom and Dad." He apologizes to Paula and Darryl Sr. "I had no idea Misty was going to show up."

Paula touches his arm gently. "Of course, you didn't Lincoln." She tells him understandably. "She just has a way of storming through, during the most unexpected times."

Lincoln nods and he talks with his family some more. They spend the rest of the evening trying to enjoy themselves. Shortly before the party is over, Paula and Darry Sr. look at their children and make an announcement. "We have been thinking about something." The couple tell their children.

"What is it, mom?" Rosalyn asks.

"Well..." Paula looks at Darryl Sr. and smiles. She then looks back at her children. "Your father and I were thinking of moving to Genoa City or at least closer to here."

The Lattimore children look at their parents a little surprised and Lincoln smiles.

"Really, mom?" He asks.

"Really sweetheart." She says rubbing his arm. "As you know we have been enjoying our retirement, but we have been thinking of moving. And we have been scoping out various places, including GC."

"This is a nice area." Darryl Sr. remarks smiling.

"And we would be closer to some of you guys." Paula says smiling. "Lincoln we could be closer to you and be around for our new grandchild more." She then looks at Monty and smiles. "And you too Monty."

"Well, I don't need you guys chaperoning me or anything." Monty says grinning. "I'm a single young man who enjoys my freedom." He says laughing.

"Boy, we know that." Paula says playfully slapping his arm. "But we would still like to be closer to you guys. I mean we know Roz that you are in Georgia, and Jr, well, baby you are _everywhere."_ She remarks looking at her oldest son. "But we still would like to be closer to some of you guys."

"And settle down in a place where it would be easier for us to have gatherings as a family. Especially since two of you guys are already here." Darryl Sr. says.

Darryl Jr., nods. "That makes sense."

"It does." Rosalyn agrees.

"I would love for you guys to be around more." Lincoln declares.

"I love you guys, but I hope you won't be looking over my shoulder, now that you guys may move to GC." Monty says in a bit of a joking manner. "A man loves his freedom."

"Boy…" Paula says looking at him and then she laughs. Monty puts his arm around her. "It would be cool to have you guys around. You can see me make waves first hand at my new corporate job."

"Un-huh." Darryl Sr. says. "And making sure you keep that head on straight."

Monty smiles. "Always dad." He assures his father. The family talks a bit more and enjoys the rest of their evening together.


	8. Generous Offerings

**Generous Offerings**

"Aahhh…." Kenny coos as he touches the inside of a pot with a wooden spoon. Devon is on the floor with him laughing. He grabs another wooden spoon and starts beating on the pots and pans entertaining Kenny. Kenny looks at him and makes a face. He then smiles and continues to coo a little.

"Hmmmm…. I hear some talent, there." Ana jokes.

"Me, too." Fen adds. "If he chooses, he may end up having a successful musical career in the future."

Everyone laughs. Ana, Fen, and Devon are hanging out in Devon's kitchen, while Devon and Kenny are playing with some pots and pans on the floor. Ana and Fen were visiting with them. They were enjoying spending time with Kenny and Devon. Talk turns to their wedding.

"So, have you guys thought about what type of wedding you want?" Devon asks after he picks up Kenny and holds him. "Small wedding, large wedding, in a church or some type of venue?" He asks.

"While we won't take a long time to plan this wedding, we do want a large enough one to have all our family and friends there." Ana informs him. "We are getting together a list of all of the people we want to invite." She puts her hands together excitedly. "And then we'll start sending out invitations."

Fen nods. "And Ana says she likes the idea of maybe it having the wedding outdoors somewhere." Fen states. "And that's fine by me."

Ana looks at Fen and smiles. She reaches over and grabs his hand. "Something about a nice outdoor wedding really appeals to me." She remarks.

"Well…" says Devon bouncing and cuddling Kenny. "That all sounds great." He then becomes thoughtful. "You know, I'd like to help you guys with your wedding expenses, if that's okay with you. Actually, I liked to pay for it for you guys. It could be my gift to you. That and a Honeymoon." He adds smiling at them.

Fen and Ana look at each other and smile, both touched by Devon's generosity.

"That is a very generous offer." Fen says smiling. He had originally intended to pay for the wedding, but he did appreciate Devon's generous offer.

"Very generous." Ana adds.

"Are you interested in taking me up on it?" Devon ask smiling. He stands up with Kenny in his arms.

"Ana you're my baby sister and this is your wedding and I would like to help make this an extra special one for you." He says. He then looks at Fen.

"And Fen I know you have been doing well for yourself, but I still would like to pay for this wedding and a Honeymoon for you guys." He pauses and then continues. "As a gift to help you jumpstart your life as a married couple…" Devon pauses again and continues. "Without having to deal with the expenses of those things…. If that's okay with you guys."

Fen and Ana look at each other. They then both smile. "That would be okay. That would be awesome actually." Ana says. She stands up and hugs, Devon. "Thanks Devon." She sits back down.

Fen also smiles. "Thanks man." He stands up and shakes Devon hand.

"Not a problem." Devon says smiling. "I take care of those things for you guys, and you make sure you spend your life taking good care of my sister."

Fen nods and smiles. "I will do that."

Devon nods. "Sounds good. Just make whatever plans you guys want for your wedding and Honeymoon. And let me know what you want to do. I'll take care of it for you guys."

Fen sits back down, and the group talks some more about the wedding. Devon also plays with Kenny. While they are doing this the doorbell rings. Devon looks at the time.

"They are a little early." He says as he goes and answers the door.

"How are you guys doing?" He says smiling at the two people standing outside.

"Hey…"! Sophia says cheerfully.

"Hi." Moses says waving.

Devon stands back so they can come in. They walk into the center of the room near the couch.

"Hello, precious." Sophia says touching Kenny. "He is so cute… He looks just like you." She tells Devon smiling.

Devon nods. "That's what a lot of people say. It makes my wife feel a little left out." He jokes.

Sophia looks around. "Where is she at?" She asks curiously.

"She's still dealing with that situation with her family." He informs Sophia. "She'll be back in a few days." He pauses and then continues. "I just got back in the other night."

Sophia nods. "Okay. I know you're glad to be back and be around this little guy." She says smiling at Kenny and lightly tickling him.

Kenny looks at her and smiles.

"Oh, you know that." Devon says smiling. He then looks down at Moses.

"How you are doing, man?" He asks.

"Fine." Moses says smiling.

"You know I'm always happy to see you little brother."

Moses nods.

Just then Fen and Ana come out of the kitchen to greet Moses and Sophia.

"Hey girl." Sophia says greeting Ana. She goes over to her and they share a warm hug.

"Let me see it." Sophia asks. Ana shows her, the engagement ring.

Sophia grabs her hand. "Girl, it's beautiful. Congratulations!" She looks at Fen and smiles at him. "Welcome to the Family, Fen."

"Thank you." Fen tells her graciously. They hug.

"And You look good." She says looking him over after they are done hugging. "You look even more buff than the last time, I saw you." She observes. "But I guess a pop star has to keep his self in shape, especially when you are out there on tour performing in front all of your fans."

Fen smiles sheepishly. "I do my best to stay in shape."

Sophia nods. "Un-huh." She then steps away from Fen and moves closer to Ana again. She leans very close to her and whispers. "I'm glad you got to him before a no good one did. There are plenty of wild ones out there who would love to sink their fangs into a hot pop star." Ana makes a face and tries not to laugh. She shakes her head and smiles.

Sophia then turns back to Devon. "You had wanted to talk to me?" She asks.

Devon nods. "I did. I had wanted to talk with you about business." He then makes a face and sniffs his nose. "But first I will have to change Kenny's diaper."

"I can do it." Ana volunteers.

"Or I can do it." Fen also volunteers. Ana looks at him and smiles.

"Really?" She asks.

Fen nods. "Yeah. I'm going to be his Uncle. I can start pitching in to help now." He looks at Devon and smiles.

"I'm not turning down anyone who wants to change a diaper." Devon says. "Be my guest man." Everyone laughs. He hands Kenny to Fen and tells Fen where the diapers and items to change him are at.

"Come on dude." Fen says taking Kenny into his arms and smiling.

"I'll go with you guys." Ana says smiling. "And show you exactly where everything is."

"I'm a good diaper changer." Fen tells her.

"Oh, really?" Ana asks laughing.

"I've changed quite a few of them in my life." Fen informs her.

"Okay." Ana says. She puts her hands on Fen's back and they walk away to change baby Kenny.

"I'm his Uncle too, though I don't really want to change a diaper." Moses says making a face. He looks at Devon. "Hey, I'm hungry, do you have something to eat?" He asks.

Devon nods. "Yeah, man go into the kitchen and make yourself at home. We have some snacks in the pantry and in the fridge."

"Thanks." Moses heads off to the kitchen, leaving Devon and Sophia alone. He smiles at her.

"Let's sit down, so we can talk about business for a moment." He suggests. They sit down on the couch.

Devon puts his hands together and looks at her smiling. "First of all, I want to thank you for all of the help you have given me at Hamilton-Winters these past couple of months." He gestures towards her with his hands.

"I really do appreciate it." He tells her gratefully. "You have been valuable to us, by helping out at Power Communications. I really needed the help." He admits. "It was getting a bit much trying to handle a lot of the workload for it by myself… We have a nice team there, but still haven't managed to find the right person to replace after Neil passed."

Sophia nods. "I understand, that company was Neil's baby, and whoever ends up running it will have very big shoes to fill." She states understandably.

Devon nods. "I've had some people working at the company who we've had our eyes on, trying to see if I could promote them to the next level, but I still haven't found the right person… among them..."

Sophia puts her hands on her laps listening. "Well, hopefully you will eventually find the right person." She says encouragingly.

Devon gives her a smile. "I think that I may have found the right person."

Sophia raises her eyebrows. "Oh, really?" She asks curiously.

Devon nods. "Yeah… I think it may be you." He claims looking at her.

"Me?" Sophia puts her hands to her chest. "Oh, Devon are you serious?" She asks surprised.

He gives her a serious look. "I am. I have appreciated all you have done by stepping in and helping me these past couple of months. I mean I know you came to GC for a bit so that Moses could be around this side of his family more." Devon tells her. "But you stepped in and helped me at Power when I was feeling swamped." He sighs. "Even more so, with this stuff with my wife and her family and then me also trying to balance work while taking care of my son."

Sophia, put her hand on his arm. "I was happy to help. You know that I was in the midst of reevaluating things professionally myself. My last job was good for a while. But some things happened there, and I decided to leave it, and go do something else." She smiles at him.

"I was happy to help you at Power and it's been so good for Moses to be around you and his family." She tells him gratefully. "Especially as he's starting to get a little older, you know?" She says looking at Devon.

Devon nods. "And you and Moses are always welcome to be around this family, regardless of where you work." He states to her comfortingly. "I love having him around and will continue to do my best to try and be there for him as much as I can. I know that is what dad would have wanted."

Sophia nods and smiles. "Absolutely. That is exactly what Neil would have wanted."

"Yeah, and I am going to continue to do that regardless. Be there for Moses and you too." He assures her. "But in the mean time, I wanted to offer you the job of running Power, if you want it." He tells her. "I've seen enough of you and know enough about how dedicated of a worker you are to feel like I can trust you to run this company…." He gives her a knowing look.

Sophia makes a face. "Oh, Devon that is a _big_ responsibility." She tells him a bit overwhelmed.

"I think you can handle it." He says looking at her. "But… you don't have to give me an answer right away." He tells her. "You can stay on as long as you'd like and if... or when you feel like you are ready to run the company, we can talk about that and work out the details of it." He gives her a serious look. "Okay?"

She nods. "Alright, it's something I will think about."

"Cool." Devon and Sophia talk for a bit more. While they are doing that Fen has finished changing Kenny's diaper in another room. Fen was now holding Kenny and talking to him and Ana.

"You smell so much better, dude". Fen tells Kenny who is looking at him.

Ana laughs at Fen's comments. She comes closer to both of them and smiles. Kenny sees her face and smiles.

"You see your Aunt's pretty face." Fen says looking at Kenny and then at Ana. "That's what's making you smile. Her pretty face?" Kenny looks at him and then smiles again.

"I love how happy he is." Fen says glancing at Ana for a moment while he's holding him. "You know what... I hope that our future…" His voice trails off and he looks at Kenny's face and smiles thinking.

Ana puts her hand on his arm. "You hope what babe?" She asks. Just before Fen can answer Ana hears her phone beep. She looks at it. "Oh, it's a text from Summer." She says. She reads it and makes a face. "That's right." She says aloud and looks at Fen.

"I am supposed to be meeting her this evening for dinner." She gives Fen an excited look. "We are going to do some planning for the wedding." She makes some gestures with her hands. "We are going to talk about invitations and other important details." She smiles at him. "So, I am going to have to get out of here in a little bit." She reaches out and grabs Fen's hand. "But I will talk to you later."

Fen nods. "Right." He looks at Kenny and smiles at him again.

Ana looks and smiles at both of them. She touches both of Fen and Kenny's arms. "You guys are so cute together." She gushes. "You look good with a baby in your arms." She tells Fen, raising her eyebrow a bit and smiling. She lightly touches Kenny's stomach. "You look so cute in your Uncle Fen's arms." She says. She looks at Fen again.

"Uncle Fen." She states. "That sounds so natural."

Fen nods and smiles. "It does."

Ana looks at her watch. "But I guess we better take him on out there and give him back to his daddy." She advises Fen. "Because Auntie has got to get out of here in a bit."

Fen nods and they head out of the room to take Kenny back to Devon.


	9. Some Wedding Planning

**Some Wedding Planning**

"So, she said Missy we'll be seeing more of each other on her way out." Summer says to Ana as they were meeting together at Society. She was telling Ana about her in laws anniversary party the other night and how Lincoln's biological mother Misty had crashed the party.

Ana makes a face. "Sounds intense." She remarks astutely. "And you say Linc is going to meet with her again?" She asks.

Summer eyes widen. "Yes. She states that she's currently staying at the GCAC. And her and Linc made a deal to meet there if she left my in laws party." Summer informs her.

"Ooh… and you're worried about that meeting?" Ana asks.

Summer nods. "Very worried." She admits in a concerned tone. "Things are so strained between my husband and his biological mother. And that was on full display the other night." Summer shivers a little.

"His mother definitely has a presence about her that is... _chilly_ to say the least." She sighs. "His mother definitely seems like a handful, and believe me I know about people being a handful."

Ana gives her a sympathetic look. "Well hopefully things will somehow work itself out. Maybe Lincoln and his mom can work things out, or maybe he will find some way to deal with her." She pauses. "He's dealt with her before, right?"

Summer nods again. "Yes, he has, during times when she's floated in and out of his life. But…" Summer makes a face. "According to him, his interactions with her never really end well." She sighs again. "And the last time things got pretty rough when she confronted my mother-in-law."

"Paula?" Ana ask clarifying.

"Yes. She got in her face and things got pretty ugly. It got so bad, Lincoln practically disowned Misty." Summer reveals to her.

Ana leans back and frowns. "That does sound pretty rough."

"It is… but like you said hopefully things will work itself out." Summer says optimistically. "I will do my best to help mend fences if that is what needs to happen."

Ana raises her eyebrows. "Be careful."

"I'll will try." Summer promises her. They are quiet for a moment and then Summer smiles. "But enough about that for now." She remarks moving onto another subject. "We need to start planning your wedding and the events surrounding it. That's what we are here for."

Ana nods excitedly. "Right, so where do you think we should start first?"

"Well..." Summer says thinking. "I actually would like to start talking about your bridal shower. We will get to the wedding of course, but I think that Fen should be around too for some of that discussion."

Ana nods. "Yeah, he would probably want to be included at least to some degree." A thoughtful look comes across her face. "And I can get him to sit down with us some time this week and talk some more about that."

"Right." Summer says. She places her hands on the table. "So, let's talk about planning you a bridal shower." Summer looks at her tablet, and then at Ana. "So, I totally want to plan you a very nice shower. It can be here if you want, or at my house. Whatever you want." She tells Ana smiling.

"And we need to get a list of the people you want to invite to that, so we can send emails or texts to them..." Summer pauses and continues. "I know that formal invitations are good too, but you want to plan a quick wedding. So, a nice text or email would be sufficient. As long as we can give them at least a little time to RSVP."

"Okay." Ana agrees.

"So… who do you want to invite to your bridal shower?" Summer asks. "Some of the same people that will get invitations to your wedding, no doubt." She pauses thinking for a moment of a potential list of people to invite. "Your mom of course."

Ana smiles but then makes a disappointed face. "Yeah, but mom is kind of busy right now. I will definitely send her a text about it, though this might be too short of a notice for her to show up." Ana informs Summer.

Summer frowns. "But she will be at the wedding right?" She asks.

Ana nods. "Yes, she will be able to make that."

"Okay". Summer looks down at her tablet again and types some things. "Ok so mom will be invited and if she doesn't make it, she will still show up to the wedding." She looks back up at Ana. "Who else?" She asks. "Surely the rest of your family."

Ana starts thinking and listing off names. "Yeah, I definitely want to invite, Lily, Mattie, and Sophia... who is back for the time being." Ana informs her.

Summer types quickly on her tablet. "Gotcha." She looks up at Ana again. "What about your cousin Elena?" She asks. "I mean I know she is no longer dating your brother and he's moved on, but…"

Ana nods. "She's still family."

"Right." Summer agrees. "So, invite her?"

"Yes."

"Okay and who else?"

Ana thinks. "Tyra. It's a bit of a short notice, but I want to invite her. She might be able to make it."

Summer nods. "Okay. And…" Summer makes a face as she just remembers someone important. "Oh, and your sister-in-law…"

Ana sighs. "I would love to invite her, but she still has some stuff going on with her family. And I don't know if she will able to make it and be up to it. But you can invite her as well."

"And…."

"Abby, I like her and have grown closer to her."

"Okay..."

"And oh, I would like to invite some ladies that I am friends with from work, Rochelle and Anastacia." Ana adds them to her list of invites.

"Cool." Summer types some more information on her tablet. "Alrighty, anybody else?" She asks.

Ana thinks some more and shakes her head. "I think that's all I have for now."

"Okay, well if you think of anyone else let me know." Summer tells her. "Meanwhile we are going to send invites to all of these people. "You have most of their information?"

"I do." Ana acknowledges.

"So, you can send them messages. And I will work on other details for the party for you. Like decorations and the catering." Summer looks around. "If we have it here, we can get the restaurant to cater it, or I can throw it for you in my home. And find you a great caterer." Summer puts the tablet down and looks at Ana. "Whatever you want."

Ana thinks. "I don't know. I might need to think about that. Here would be nice."

"And we can rent it out for you, like we did for my in laws." Summer suggests. "Or we could do it in my home." She offers again.

"Which might be more of an intimate setting." Ana muses.

"Right, think about what you want for a little and let me know, so we can give that information to your guests." She gives Ana a look. "So, we can send them out within a couple of days."

"I'm going to try and make a decision on where we have it by the end of tonight." Ana tells Summer. "Even if I have to text you my answer after I leave."

"Good, that way we can get those invites sent out and we can figure out what we need to do regarding food." She gives Ana a big smile. "I'm going to try and make this a fun event for you. You deserve it girlie." They talk a bit more about their plans for the bridal shower. And then talk turns to planning the wedding.

"So, I know that you definitely want to do some of this planning with Fen, but we can start getting some details sorted out now for your actual wedding." Summer remarks helpfully. "So, have you decided what type of wedding you want."

Ana nods. "I think that I have. I really like the thought of having it outdoors."

"Okay cool, and where outdoors? Like maybe a destination wedding?" Summer probes.

"That sounds nice, but because we are throwing it together quicker, I think that something closer to home would be more convenient for our guests and also nice." Ana states.

"Maybe in GC?" Summer asks. "Or at least nearby. There are some really nice resorts nearby where people wouldn't have to do a ton of traveling. You and Fen could have your wedding at one of those."

Ana nods. "That's definitely something to think about. Or maybe even Chancellor Park." Ana suggests. "That's where Fen proposed." She smiles, as she thinks back to his proposal.

"Sounds like that place definitely has significant meaning to you." Summer remarks smiling at her. "So maybe there?" She suggests. "And then you can have the reception someone else. Like maybe inside, like maybe the GCAC."

Ana thinks. "Yeah maybe. Though the resort idea, you mentioned sounds good, too." She remarks thoughtfully.

"You just figure out where you want to go, and we'll make it work. And once we sit down with Fen, I think that you'll be able to come to more definitive decisions." Summer puts her hands on the table tapping them. "And also find something that will suit whatever budget you have."

Ana raises her hand "Oh about that... We accepted an offer from Devon to pay for our wedding and our honeymoon." She informs Summer. "He said that would be his gift to us."

Summer eyes widen and she grins. "Okay, then you forget about the budget. Go as big as you want…." The two young ladies laugh.

"And Food?" Summer asks.

"Well Fen and I are foodies, and we really like ethnic foods." Ana informs her. "One of our favorite places to eat at is this Thai place that Fen took me on our first date, almost two years ago."

"You want that place to cater?" Summer asks.

Ana shakes her head. "You know what? no." She answers. "I want us to do something different." She thinks for a moment. "There are some new places we want to try like this Moroccan restaurant and this Greek place. Maybe will check one of those places out and if the food is good, see if one of them will cater for us."

"Alright, but you do want some type of ethnic cuisine." Summer puts some information in her tablet. "Okay sounds good." The ladies talk for a bit more.

"Well, we have accomplished some things today." Summer concludes. "Regarding your bridal shower and wedding. And once we sit down with Fen, we will accomplish more and narrow down/finally decide on some choices for you."

"Thanks for helping me." Ana tells her gratefully. "Especially since this is a short engagement and a more quicker put together wedding."

Summer smiles. "Not a problem, Girl. I want to help give you the best wedding possible." The two ladies smile and talk a little more before they part for the night.


	10. Early Impressions-Part I

**Early Impressions Part I**

"I'm Monty Lattimore." Monty reaches across the desk to shake Ted's hand.

"Nice to meet you Monty." Ted says shaking his hand. "I'm Ted, the main assistant here at Jabot. I work closely with the CEO Jack as well as other executives here."

"Nice to meet you Ted." Monty says flashing him a big smile. Monty was happy to be starting his first day at Jabot and was dressed to impress in a very sharp navy colored suit. Him and Ted chat for a bit more and then Ted directs him to one of the meetings rooms where him and the other young people who had been hired would meet with Jack and Billy on their first day of work.

On his way down the hall to the room, he walks by Gloria. He flashes her a smile and nods and says hello to her. Gloria stops for a moment to stare and talk to him. Monty stops to see what she wants to talk about.

"Why Helloooo..." Gloria says. She reaches out and shakes his hand. "I'm Gloria, I work very closely with our CEO Jack here." She informs Monty. "And you are... one of our new young executive trainees who we have hired to join our team? I'm guessing." She asks looking up into his very handsome face and smiling.

"Yes, ma'am." Monty says smiling at her. "I'm Monty Lattimore."

Gloria waves her hand. "Oh, you don't have to call me ma'am, Gloria is just fine, darling." She tells him. They talk for a bit more.

"Well, welcome to Jabot. Happy to see you join our team." Gloria says as they end their conversation.

"Thank you." Monty says and they part ways. As he walks away Gloria watches him for a moment and smiles.

"Ummm." She says smiling and puts her hand to her face thinking for a moment.

She makes her way up to the front and talks to Ted.

"Hi, Ted." She greets him.

"Hi, Gloria." Ted says greeting her.

"Is Jack in yet?" She asks.

"He is actually in Billy's office talking with him a bit, before they head to the meeting room and talk with our new hires." He informs her.

Gloria nods. "Okay… Well I met one just a few moments ago. Monty…" She tells Ted, smiling.

"Very polite and a _very_ handsome young man. I mean, whooo..." Gloria remarks. "I guess we're hiring models, now..." she jokes.

Ted raises his eyebrows and tries his best not to laugh. "I met him too. He seems like a nice guy."

Gloria nods. "Yes, he does." Gloria and Ted talk a bit more and then Gloria goes off to complete some tasks.

By this time Monty has made his way to the meeting room. He steps inside and sees two other young people in there. They are talking to each other. He walks over and introduces himself.

"Hello." He says to them. They smile at him. He reaches out and shakes one of their hands.

"I am Monty Lattimore". He says to one of them.

"Nice to meet you Monty." The pretty young woman says shaking his hand.

"My name is Valentina Alvarez." She tells him.

Valentina was a young Latina lady in her early 20s. She has fair skin, long dark brown hair and pretty dark brown eyes. She was short in stature and had a little bit of a curvy figure. She was an intelligent, confident, ambitious young woman and was looking forward to starting her career at Jabot. The next person who Monty shakes hands with is another young 20 something male, a 5'11 young white man with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing glasses and was wearing a light grey suit. He was also an intelligent young person that was friendly but also serious about his career. He was excited to work at Jabot as well.

"Hi, my name is Boyd Denver." The young man says shaking Monty's hand and smiling. The three young people talk amongst themselves. While they are doing that Jack and Billy enter the room. The three young people turn to look at them.

Jack flashes them a smile.

"Hello, everyone." He says greeting them. "I am glad to see you guys here. Welcome to Jabot." The young people smile at him and go over and shake his and Billy's hands, introducing themselves.

Once they are done, the young people move more towards the center of the room.

"Everyone we have some refreshments set out for you. Feel free to grab, some and take a seat. Billy and I will start talking to you a bit about some important facts about the history of our company, our expectations and goals for you." Jack pauses and then continues.

"And some of the latest projects that we are working on now that we want to have you contribute to right away. We want to hit the ground running with you guys. And we believe we have hired a great set of young people."

Jack then indicates to the table in the room that has food and drink on it. "So please, don't be shy. Grab you something to eat, have a seat and we can start getting down to business." The young people make their way over to the table and each grab a plate, puts food on it and grabs a drink and goes sit down at another table. After they are settled and eat some, Jack begins talking to them.

"We are very glad to have you guys here with us." He turns to look at Billy and smiles. "We believe that we have hired some of the best and brightest young people out there and we are looking forward to having you on our team."

Billy then talks. "We will be counting on you guys to help us continue to take Jabot into the future. We have some exciting new projects going on and we want you guys to help us launch them. If we all work together, we can do great things." Billy tells them optimistically.

"That's right. We are all a team. And together we really can accomplish a lot." Jack repeats. He then talks with the group a bit about the history of Jabot and his father's legacy. They take in what he is saying and about how the company means to him and to their employees and consumers. He then starts to tell them about some new projects they have coming up.

"Our apparel line Jabot Collective has been a great success and addition for us." Jack informs the group proudly. This line has been thriving for us for almost two years." He pauses for a moment and then continues. "And we are now adding some new clothing collections to this line. We are adding new summer collections, that will include swim wear. And we are also preparing to introduce new collections of fall clothing."

"We would like you guys to help us market these new collections." Billy tells the group. "We want to hear your fresh ideas and input on how we can better market these collections..." He gestures with his hands. "We want to hear your suggestions on what tools we can use to help market these products to a mass audience, including young people."

"So…" Jack says looking at Billy and smiling. "We are going to assign you guys to help us market and promote these collections. We're going to get you right into the thick of things."

"You'll mostly be reporting to me." Billy tells the group. "And also, Jack at times, but we are going to trust you guys to really do a lot of the leg work for marketing for these new clothing items. You are a very bright group of people and we wouldn't have hired you if we didn't think otherwise."

"So, Billy and I have decided to put you in pairs, one to handle the introduction of our new summer clothes, including our swimwear."

"And the other pair will focus on working on our fall collections, which we wanted to jump start." Jack looks at the group. "So, there are four of you." He then pauses for a moment and makes a face. "Wait, there is _supposed_ to be four of you, but someone is missing…"

Just then Mattie comes through the door with a very frustrated and apologetic look on her face. She looks at Jack and Billy and apologizes. "I'm so sorry I am late." She says apologetically. "But something happened with my car this morning…. and I just got through dealing with that. I am very sorry for being late." She apologizes again.

Jack and Billy share a look and then Jack smiles. "That's okay, Mattie. Are you okay?" He asks concerned.

Mattie nods. "I am now." She says. "But it's been a very hectic morning."

While this is going on, Valentina leans over to Monty and remarks. "She definitely looks a bit frayed."

Monty makes a face, thinking after he hears Valentina's comment and he takes in Mattie. He noticed that she was pretty and was well dressed, but that she did indeed look frayed. Jack nods understanding. "I have had those before." He gestures towards the table where the other young people were sitting. "Have a seat." He instructs her.

"You can also get some food and drink on your way over there." Billy tells her kindly.

Mattie nods but bypasses the food table and takes her stuff and heads over to the table where the rest of the young people were sitting. She was frustrated by how her morning had started out and embarrassed that she was late. She was usually on top of things and had wanted to make a good impression on her first day at work. But things had not worked out the way she had hoped.

Mattie heads over and sits beside Monty. puts her some stuff on the desk and her purse beside her chair. A couple of the pens she bought slip onto the floor and she sighs. They fall near Monty and he picks them up and puts them on the table for her. Mattie finally gets her stuff situated and sits down, trying to fully gain her composure. She looks down at her things for a moment and takes a breath thinking. Right after she does this Monty leans towards her a little and asks:

"Would you like something to drink? Or eat?" He asks her helpfully. "I could go get you something if you like."

"No thank you." Mattie says not even looking at him. She was still trying to compose herself. "I'm not hungry."

"Okay…" Monty says and leans away from her. He shrugs his shoulders and faces his attention back to Jack and Billy. Mattie faces her attention to them as well.

They start up talking again. "So now that Mattie has joined us, I will just fill her in on a little of what were just talking about." Jack fills Mattie in on some important details and then turns the discussion back to the marketing of the new collections. "So, like we were saying you are going to be paired off in groups of two and assigned to help promote and market these collections."

"I hope we get to work together." Valentina says leaning towards Monty. He looks at her and smiles.

"So, I guess the best way to do this is..." Billy looks at the group. "Maybe just pair you off." He looks at Valentina and Boyd, "You guys can work on our fall collections." He says to them and Valentina frowns a bit, disappointed she wouldn't' be working with Monty. He then looks at Mattie and Monty.

"And you two guys can help market and promote our Summer collections." He instructs. Monty turns to look at Mattie and she finally turns and looks at him. She looks at his face and notices that he is very handsome. He smiles at her and she puffs out her cheeks and cautiously returns his smile.

He reaches out and shakes her hand. "I'm Monty Lattimore." He says officially introducing himself to her.

"I'm Mattie Ashby." Mattie says taking his hand and shaking it. They look at each other a little more and then turn their attention to Billy and Jack when they start talking again.

"Okay, then, now that we have determined our pairs and assignments... We are going to give you guys some information about our new collections and we will really start to get the ball rolling this week." Billy says clapping his hands together.

"We look forward to working with you guys and I think we are going to make magic together." Jack says smiling at the group. Him and Billy continue to talk some more with the group, and they start to map and plan out the tasks they would like the young people to do regarding the new collections. Everyone in the room is optimistic about working together to get them launched.


	11. The Bridal Shower and Special Gifts

**The Bridal Shower and Special Gifts**

"You complete me." Summer reads off the card.

"I definitely know that one. Jerry Maguire!" Abby calls out.

Summer nods. "Correct."

She reads from another card. "It wasn't over. It still isn't over."

Ana waves her hand. "Oooh, I know that one. The Notebook." She states in a matter of fact manner.

"Correct!" Summer says smiling.

Ana was having her bridal shower at Summer's home, and they were playing games in Summer's entertainment room. The current one they were playing was a guessing game, where the ladies guessed famous romantic movie quotes. They were almost finished with it. Summer reads a few more cards and then the game concludes.

Ana takes a bite of one of the sandwiches from the French bistro that had catered the party. When she's done eating it, she smiles. "That was fun. And this food is so good." She tells Summer. "That baguette sandwich with the truffle oil flavored chicken, goat cheese and avocado, was yummy."

"Yes, that catering from that bistro is awesome." Summer tells her smiling. "I knew you'd like this food."

"It is very good." Lily also tells Summer smiling. The ladies at the party agree and chat some more. Summer then gets up and claps her hands.

"Okay ladies." She says. "It's now time for us to give our bride to be the gifts we got her." The ladies in the room clap. Summer goes over to a table in the room with all the gifts stacked on it. She grabs some of the gifts with Sophia getting up to help her and they stack them on a smaller table near Ana.

"You ready to open them?" She asks Ana smiling at her. Ana puts her hands together. "Yes!" She exclaims excitedly.

"Okay." Summer reaches over and hands one of the gifts to Ana. Ana smiles and takes the wrapped box. She looks at it. "This one is from Rochelle." Ana looks at the pretty 29-year-old brunette with a pixie cut who was a friend of hers from Hamilton-Winters. Ana opens the box. Inside was a pretty white monogrammed cosmetic case with Ana's first initial on it. Ana smiles when she sees the gift. "Thank you, Rochelle." She tells her gratefully.

"You're welcome." Rochelle says.

"That is a lovely bag." Summer remarks smiling. Ana then grabs the next gift on the small table near her. It was a bigger box. She looks at the tag. "This one is from Lily." She says smiling at Lily who was sitting beside her. Ana opens the box and pulls out the gift.

"Oh, this is nice." She remarks looking at the marble cutting board. "And something Fen and I can definitely use. We are both foodies and look forward to cooking more after we're married." She informs the group of ladies. She rests the cutting board on her lap.

"And there is something else underneath it." Lily tells her smiling.

Ana reaches down and sees a five-piece stainless steel cheese cutter set underneath. "Oh, this is awesome." She says picking up the cutters.

"They are cheese cutters, which you and Fen can use when you want to cut up some gourmet cheese for yourselves or if you are entertaining." Lily says gesturing towards the knives with her hands.

"Thank you. And you know how much Fen loves cheese." Ana tells her laughing.

Lily laughs. "Yeah, I do. I know we once had a party and he was _killing_ the gourmet cheese samples I had." The ladies in the room laugh.

Ana looks at Lily's gifts again.

"We will put them to good use. Thank you, Lily." She says and reaches over and hugs her. She puts those gifts back in a box and sets them aside.

Ana grabs another gift off the table and looks at it. "This one is from Sophia." She says reading the tag. She opens it up and pulls out a small box. "_Oh…_" She says. She opens up the box. "This is some top-rated perfume." She observes.

"It is. That perfume is from Paris and it's very coveted and it will have you smelling like the queen that you are." Sophia tells her, smiling as Ana puts the bottle of it to her nose and smells.

"This smells great... I love that fruity fragrance..." Ana gushes.

Ana smells the perfume again. She reaches over and hugs Sophia who is sitting on the other side of her. "Thank you."

She then grabs an envelope on the table. "From Elena." She opens the envelope and pulls out the two pieces of papers. She reads them. "Gift certificates for couples spa treatments." She smiles warmly at Elena. "Thank you, Elena. Fen and I will put these to good use." She gets up and hugs Elena.

"You're welcome." Elena tells her warmly.

Summer then goes with Sophia's help and grabs more gifts and puts them on the table closest to Ana. Ana continues to open her gifts. She picks up a larger box.

"This one is from Anastacia." She says looking in the room and smiling at her pretty 37-year-old Asian female co-worker and friend, who had fair skin, long dark hair and a kind smile.

Ana opens the box and smiles. "Oh, cool." She says carefully pulling out the French press coffee pot that Anastacia had gotten her. "Thank you, Anastacia."

"I know how much you and Fen love your coffee. And I thought you could put this machine to good use." Anastacia remarks thoughtfully.

"We can and we will, thank you." Ana says smiling at her. She carefully puts the coffee pot back in the box and puts its aside. There are a few gifts left to open. Ana picks up another gift.

"This is from mom." Ana announces to the group. She opens the box and picks up a note. She reads it. "To my baby girl, I'm sorry I couldn't be here, hope you love this gift. Love mom."

Ana looks down at the gift and sees the chain earrings with crystal studs. "Aw these are pretty." She says. "I will have to call her and thank her." Ana then opens a gift from Lauren who was away on a business trip. Lauren had gifted her a set of pretty silver bangle bracelets.

Ana sighs happily after she opens this gift and then addresses the group before she finishes opening the rest of her presents. "I really do appreciate all of these wonderful gifts guys." She tells them graciously. "They really are quite lovely, and they cover a range of needs and wants. From the wonderful gifts for the kitchen, the fabulous perfume, the gift certificates, the jewlery... they are all great." She thanks them.

"Now let's finish up the rest of them." Summer says smiling at her.

Next up Ana grabs a flat box. She looks at the tag. "This is from Abby." She says smiling.

Abby puts her hands together and gives Ana a mischievous look. "You said we were covering a variety of your needs. I hope uh…. _Ahem_…hope my gifts will help cover some specific needs as well."

Ana raises her eyebrows and then opens Abby's gifts. She removes some tissue paper and then looks down at one of the gifts.

"_Oh_…." Ana says looking down and picking up the first article of lingerie that Abby had gifted her. It was a lace deep v neck red teddy lingerie bodysuit.

"Ana you're about to marry a man you're deeply in love with." Abby says smiling at her brightly. "And these lingerie gifts will help you express that to him in a sexy and passionate way."

The ladies in the room make various expressions when they see the lingerie, from smiles, to raised eyebrows and amused faces.

Ana makes a face and then smiles. "Well...Thank you Abby." She says smiling. "I will… put it to use." She says laughing.

"There's one more underneath." Abby tells her. Ana reaches down and pulls out the last lingerie ensemble.

"_Ohhh_" Ana says picking it up. She holds it up looking at it.

"Now that is what you should wear on your wedding night." Abby instructs her. "It is what you call a bridal baby doll set." Abby says indicating to the very sheer white ensemble. It consisted of a very sheer, white top and matching sheer white bikini briefs."

Ana looks it over and raises her eyebrows. "It's like completely see-through." She remarks a bit amused as she looks at the lingerie.

Sophia looks at it closely as she sits beside Ana. "I mean like _completely _see through. Even the bikini briefs." She looks at Ana and then laughs. "_Girl_…." She says giving Ana an amused look of her own.

Abby smiles. "That's the point." She explains. "It barely leaves anything to the imagination... You wear that outfit for Fen on your wedding night or honeymoon. Exactly as it is." Abby instructs her. "He sees you in that and he will find you so irresistable… and your marriage will start off with a bang!" Abby exclaims.

The rest of the ladies make various amused faces and look at each other. And then the room erupts in laughter.

Abby claps her hands. "See you guys _get_ it." She leans back smiling. "And you're a woman in love, about to be married and I was just trying to look out for _those_ needs." She remarks slyly.

Summer presses a hand to her lips. "Maybe it's a good thing your mother and mother-in-law aren't here." She muses jokingly. The ladies laugh again.

"Well, I... will definitely put these to use." Ana tells Abby smiling.

"You do that." Abby says laughing. "Trust me you wear those for Fen especially the bridal one... and lets just say you will be _very_ glad that you did."

"Thank you, Abby." Ana tells her and puts the lingerie back in the box it came in. Ana then reaches for the next gift. "This one is from Tyra." She says after she reads the tag.

Tyra makes a face and puts her hands on her laps and taps her legs. She moves her head to the side for a moment and looks at Ana smiling. "Well, that will be a hard act to follow." She jokes. The ladies laugh. Ana opens Tyra's gift. "Oh, this is lovely." She remarks pulling out the pretty green oversize throw blanket that Tyra had gotten her.

Trya gestures towards the blanet. "You can wrap up in that when you want to read a book on the couch, or cuddle up with Fen in it if you guys want to watch a movie." She suggests smiling.

"Or cuddle up with Fen after he gets you out of Abby's lingerie and you guys finish enjoying yourselves after that happens.." Summer interjects jokingly. " I mean... You could use something to cuddle in afterwards..." She states bluntly.

Ana makes a face and laughs. The rest of the ladies laugh as well. "You guys are a _mess_." Ana says laughing.

Summer smirks. "I'm just saying, that blanket can have multiple uses." She turns to look at the last couple of gifts. She picks up a flat one and gives it to Ana. Ana looks at it. "This one is from Mattie." She says smiling at Mattie. Ana opens the gift. She looks at it and smiles.

"It is a wooden travel scrapbook." Mattie informs her, indicating to the wooden scrapbook with the leather binding. "It's for you and Fen to put pictures from your honeymoon and other traveling you will do after you get married." Mattie informs her.

"I know you mentioned you guys wanted to do some traveling, now that Fen's latest tour is over and you may have some more downtime."

Ana looks at the scrapbook and smiles at the engraved title on it. "The adventures of Ana and Fen." She reads aloud. She turns to smile again at Mattie.

"Thank you, Mattie." She says graciously. "How thoughtful. And we will definitely put it to use, starting with our honeymoon." Ana gets up to hug Mattie and then sits back down.

"Okay and now you have one more gift to open." Summer tells her smiling. "Mine." Ana reaches for the box that is Summer's gift. She opens it up and sees some tissue paper inside.

"Be careful, they're fragile." Summer says smiling.

Ana pulls out Summer's gift. "Oh, Summer these are _lovely_." Ana says after she pulls out a Jupiter flute champagne glass. There is another one located in the box.

"Some of the best crystal champagne flute glasses around." Summer tells her. "For you and Fen to toast your new life together."

"Aw, Summer, thank you." Ana wraps the glasses back in the box, and puts it aside. She stands up and hugs Summer.

"Thank you so much for this gift and throwing me this lovely shower." Ana then turns and looks at everyone in the room. "Thank you all for attending and for your lovely gifts. I really do appreciate it."

The ladies smile and clap for Ana and they enjoy the rest of the shower together, Ana very grateful for their friendship and gifts. When the shower is over, she hugs and thanks all of the ladies. She sighs happily and thinks about how she is looking forward to using her gifts after she starts her new life with Fen.


	12. Sweet and Salty Conversations at GC PI

**"Sweet and Salty Conversations at the GCAC, Part I"**

"So, did you get in contact with the person that I told you about?" Schuyler asks Fen as he's sitting at a table at the GCAC. Schuyler Simms was a pretty 29-year-old white woman who was currently working as a server at the GCAC. She was 5'6, with porcelain skin and had dark red hair and green eyes.

"I did." Fen informs her. "A while back ago actually."

"And…" Schuyler pushes him. "You found something?" She asks.

Fen nods and grins. "I did and I'm about to… get it." He says.

He sits up a little straighter in his chair. "But I want to keep things hush- hush for now. Because I don't want my fiancée finding out about it. I want to surprise her, after we're married." He admits to Schuyler.

"Somebody's going _big_." Schuyler teases him.

Fen grins. "Oh, yeah, I want it to be my wedding gift to her. But for now, I just want to keep quiet about things. I've known that I wanted this for a while, but now that I'm engaged, and am getting married, I can really share it with her."

Schuyler sighs. "How _romantic_." She gushes. She puts her hand on her hip. "Does she know how lucky she is?"

Fen shrugs his shoulders. "I'm the lucky one." Him and Schuyler smile at each other and chat a bit more.

"So are you ready to order something, or do you want to wait for her?" She asks.

"I'm going to wait for her." Fen informs her. "We are actually meeting with a friend this morning to do some more planning for our wedding."

Schuyler smiles at him. "Okay, I'll be back around in a bit to take your orders." Schuyler goes to another table to take an order and then goes into the kitchen area of the GCAC to give it to the chef. She runs into another server and her roommate Madison, a cute tall 30-year-old blonde woman with shoulder length hair and brown eyes.

"He's so _hot_." Schuyler gushes as she talks with Madison for a moment.

"Who?" Madison asks curiously.

Schuyler raises her eyebrows. "You know who." She says giving Madison a knowing look. "Who is like my favorite customer here?" She asks.

Madison shrugs. "You seem to have a lot of them."

"Fen Baldwin." Schuyler says. She sighs. "He's so…_yummy_. And he talks to me like I'm a valuable person, heck like I am a friend."

Madison makes a face and raises her eyebrows. "Oh, him." She says nodding. "Yeah, you uh…_really_ seem to like him."

"He's so awesome and handsome." Schuyler continues to gush about Fen. "And we have some nice conversations, whenever I wait on his table." She admits to Madison.

"Un-huh." Madison says stacking some dishes.

Schuyler sighs again. "Why I can't find a man like_ that_?" She wonders.

"Well, handsome single pop stars aren't exactly walking around all over the place in this town." Madison says sarcastically.

"It's such a bummer that he's engaged." Schuyler says frowning.

Madison gives Schuyler a look. "Well, not for _him_." She says. "And you know his fiancée is the sister of Devon Hamilton who owns this place. And who is our boss?" She reminds her.

Schuyler waves her hand. "I know and regardless of whose sister the fiancée is, she's very lucky." Schuyler pauses thinking. "I wonder how she got him?" She ponders.

Madison frowns. "What?" She asks a bit perplexed.

Schuyler makes a face. "I mean how she _got_ him. Like how did she pull a pop star?" She ponders.

"Weren't they friends for a bit first and she helped him build his career?" Madison asks. "At least that is what I think I read in an interview he did one time for a music magazine." She recalls.

"Oh, so they fell in love while working together." Schuyler remarks, thinking. "I wonder if that involved her seducing him."

Madison's eyes widen. "_What?_!" She exclaims. "Schuyler… What the _heck?_" She asks in an incredulous tone.

"I wonder if there was some seduction involved." Schuyler speculates unaffected by Madison's reaction to her speculation. She then leans towards Madison and whispers. "You hear stories about that all the time. About an artist trying to make their way towards the top. And they end up seducing or being seduced by someone at the label…." She states.

"Maybe that is what happened there, but it turned into love." Schuyler says the word "love" skeptically.

Madison shakes her head appalled by Schuyler's theory regarding how Fen and Ana's romance developed. "That is such a bizarre take on things. I may not know Fen and his fiancée but from what I've heard their love is genuine…." She shakes her head at Schuyler.

"It's a shame you suggested otherwise." She admonishes her. She then makes a face. "And not everyone has to resort to such tactics to get a man to fall for them."

Schuyler makes a face. "I'm just saying you never know with some people…."

"Well, she's not just some people..." Madison says firmly. "She's our boss's sister and if he heard you talking about her and Fen like that…." Madison shakes her head again.

"Wooooh, let's just say it's best if you keep their names out of your mouth like that. Especially around here." She advises Schuyler. Madison grabs some more plates.

"And I thought you gave up on men, or at least for now." Madison pauses thinking. "You know after you and What's his name ended what it was you too had."

Schuyler cringes when Madison brings _him_ up. "Yes, him and I ended our relationship. Because he felt it was right to move on. But we had some passionate nights and he confided a lot of things to me." Schuyler confesses thinking of the man from a wealthy family in town who she had been romantically involved with a little while ago.

"But he broke things off." Madison interjects.

"Yes, he did." Schuyler admits and starts to get angry, when she thinks about him ending things. "He did, but that was a_ big_ mistake. One that he will regret when he's alone by himself at night." She points her hands to her chest. "Without me to listen to him and confide in."

"Un-huh." Madison says looking around to see if the next order was ready yet.

Schuyler continues talking about the man she had been involved with. "He will miss me that's for sure. But…. It's what he wanted to do…"

"And after you cried for three days straight you agreed it was the right thing as well." Madison reminds her. "Plus he never really seemed to take you much of anywhere like on dates or anything. He never even came over to the apartment."

Schuyler frowns at Madison's words and then nods.

"Well, he liked to stay in. But it probably is for the best things were ended between us." She sighs, feeling very unhappy thinking about the man again.

Madison nods. "Right. And You need to try and get past that situation for your own well-being, and your sanity." Madison pauses and sighs, giving her roommate a very serious look.

"And don't make any more inappropriate comments about Fen and anyone's else's relationship." Madison warns her. Madison then leaves and gets an order that is ready for one of the guests at the GCAC. She gives Schuyler a strong look and leaves with the order. Schuyler sighs and stacks some more plates and then goes back out into the dining area to attend to guests and take some more orders.

Around this time, Ana shows up to the restaurant. She goes over to the table where Fen is sitting. He stands up when he sees her and hugs her, and they kiss. They slightly pull apart and he keeps his hands on her waist for a moment.

"Hey, baby." He says smiling at her, looking into her eyes.

"Hi babe." Ana says looking at him. He then pulls out her chair for her to sit in and then he sits back down.

"So…" He begins. "How was your bridal shower yesterday?" He asks.

Ana beams when he brings it up. "Oh, Fen it was _lovely_. Summer did a wonderful job." She tells him happily.

"I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it." He tells her sincerely. "And that you got to spend some time with your family and friends."

"It really was great, I got to see friends and family like Tyra and Elena who has been so busy working at the hospital. It was nice to be in the same room with them and just let our hair down and have fun."

Fen nods. "Good you deserve to have fun." He tells her smiling.

"And they gave me some really nice gifts." Ana tells him.

"Oh yeah?" Fen asks curiously. "What did you get?"

"Well, I got some stuff for the kitchen that we can use, like a new French press coffee machine."

"Oooh, sounds fancy." Fen says lightheartedly.

"And Lily gave me some nice cheese cutters and a cutting board."

"Awesome, you know how much I love cheese." Fen laughs.

"And Lily does too, she brought up how you went hard at the gourmet cheese samples that she laid out at her last party." Fen and Ana look at each other and laugh.

"I also got some lovely jewelry from both of our moms, and a throw blanket from Tyra." Ana then makes a gesture with her hands.

"And ooh, Mattie gave me a cool looking wooden scrap book that we can start to put pictures from our travels including our honeymoon." She informs him.

Fen nods. "Cool, we can definitely start to add to that here shortly."

Ana continues telling him about the gifts she received. "And Summer gave us some luxury champagne flute glasses and I got a makeup bag from Rochelle... Sophia gave me some really great smelling perfume. And Abby gave…" Ana voice trails off, and she stops herself thinking of Abby's gifts and laughs.

"What is it?" Fen says looking at her a bit amused. "What did Abby give you?" He asks.

"Umm…. It's something for me and… also definitely something for _you._" Ana tells him slyly.

"Like some more kitchenware or something? She gave us a nice engraved toaster or a crock pot?" Fen asks speculating.

"Well… not exactly." Ana says.

Fen makes a face. "What did she give you?" He asks again curiously.

"Uh…. Well it was…" She starts to tell him and then stops. "You know you may have to find out later on…" Ana teases him.

An amused look comes across Fen's face… "Okay… So, you want to be mysterious…" Just then Summer comes over to their table.

"Hey guys." She says greeting them. She sits down at their table. "Are you ready to go over some major wedding plans today?" She asks them with her tablet and a folder/notebook in her hands.

"We are." Fen tells her smiling. "And my fiancée was just telling me about the awesome wedding shower you threw her yesterday. And about the gifts you gave her. And she has just mentioned Abby's gift, that for some reason she wants to keep secret from me…"

Ana looks at Summer and she laughs. Summer smirks. "Oh, yeah Abby's gifts. Yeah, they were definitely _something_."

"And Ana won't tell me what they are?" Fen asks.

"Well, maybe she just wants you to be surprised for later on…" Summer says slyly. "You'll love the gifts Abby gave her, _trust_ me…" She tells him.

Fen shakes his head and sighs. "Okay." he says lightheartedly. "I won't press for details. Some things are best left a surprise until the right time." He then thinks about his own surprise that he has for Ana and smiles. "Some things are best revealed at just the right moment."

"Exactly." Ana says, agreeing looking at him, with a sparkle in her eyes. The three people then turn their discussion to planning for the wedding.


	13. Sweet and Salty Conversations at GC PII

**Sweet and Salty Conversations at the GCAC, Part II**

While, Fen, Ana and Summer are continuing to plan the wedding at the GCAC, Misty is seated at another table in the restaurant. She was meeting with Lincoln today and was anxious for him to arrive. She texts him to see if he is still coming and looks down at her phone for a minute to see if he responds to her.

"Are you ready to order ma'am?" Madison asks Misty after she approaches her table at the GCAC. Misty looks up from her phone and makes a face.

"Um… no not right now." She tells the server. "In a little bit when my son shows up."

Madison nods. "Okay. I will come back to your table later." Madison leaves and Misty continues to look down at her phone to see if Lincoln would text her back.

"Hello…" Another voice says and Misty looks up. She makes a surprised face when she sees who it is.

"Good afternoon." The person says. "I don't think we've been formerly introduced." She reaches out to shake Misty's hand. "I'm Nikki Newman."

Misty makes a face and looks at Nikki. "Oh, I know who you are…" She says tersely. She doesn't shake Nikki's hand.

Nikki makes a face and then lightly touches her hair. "May I sit down?" She asks.

Misty frowns. "I'm waiting for someone."

"Your son I presume?" Nikki asks.

"Well, you'd presume right, and he should be here any minute. So, I don't really have time…" Misty's voice trails off.

"Well, I just wanted to say a few things to you." Nikki tells her.

Misty raises an eyebrow. "Like what…"

"Like, I listened to what you were saying a few nights ago at the Lattimore's Anniversary party and…"

"And you're going to chastise me for it, is that right?" Misty asks in a snappy tone.

"I was going to say; I hope you were sincere in wanting to get to know your grandchild and have a better relationship with your son." Nikki tells her.

Nikki sighs and gives Misty a serious look. "I am the grandmother to several lovely grandchildren, and I have a special bond with all of them. Being a grandmother is one of the greatest joys I have ever experienced." Nikki smiles thinking about her grandchildren. "It truly is amazing to be able to bond with your children's children."

"Oh, I'm sure your family is like a Hallmark family." Misty says sarcastically.

"We have our ups and downs like any other family, but we love each other. And we are very protective of each other." Nikki tells her, a very serious look coming across her face. "I am very protective of my family, including my grandchildren."

Misty moves her head and looks at Nikki. "Okay, and the point you are making is…"

"That I would do anything to keep them safe. And I will do the same for my great-grandchild." Nikki tells her firmly.

Misty sighs. "And you think I'm a threat to him or her. Even though they are also my own grandchild. My first grandchild."

Nikki eyes widen a bit. "As I said I hope that you are sincere about wanting a relationship with them and your son. Because they are my family…."

"And you're protective of your family." Misty repeats.

"You got it." Nikki states.

"Well look,_ Nikki_…" Misty says tartly. "I meant what I said, about wanting to have a good relationship with my grandchild and my son. And I don't need you warning me about anything."

Nikki makes a face and touches her purse strap. "As long as you are really sincere about that, then we shouldn't have any problems." She says giving Misty another serious look.

Just then Lincoln arrives at Misty's table. He sees the two women looking at each other.

"Hey, is everything is okay?" He asks looking at them. "Hi Nikki." He says greeting her.

"Everything is fine." Nikki says giving him a smile. "I was just talking to your mother a little bit."

Misty rolls her eyes. "Yeah we were having a _swell _conversation." She then makes a face at Lincoln. "It took you long enough to get here. I was thinking you weren't going to show up."

Lincoln shakes his head. "Nope, I am a man of my word. I said I would show up and that is what I did."

Nikki looks at both Lincoln and Misty and decides to excuse myself. "Well, I will be getting out of your twos way." Nikki says. "It was uh... nice talking to you Misty." She says giving her a look. "See you later Lincoln." She tells him giving him a smile.

"See you." He tells her. Nikki leaves and Lincoln sits down.

"What was that about?" He asks.

"Oh, she was just telling me about her oh some awesome relationships with her grandchildren and how she is so protective of them. And will be protective of your child, her first great grandchild." Misty informs Lincoln. "It sounded like she was warning me to behave myself." Misty then gives Lincoln a look. "Did you put her up to that?" She asks.

Lincoln shakes his head. "No, I didn't, I'm surprised she approached you." He says honestly.

"Un-huh, well regardless of who may have put her up to that, I don't need to be warned about anything." Misty looks at him. "I meant what I said when I said I wanted a relationship with my grandchild… and you."

Lincoln looks into his mother's eyes and makes a face. "Are you serious about that Misty?" He asks.

Misty sighs. "Yes, I am…." She declares.

"Because I haven't seen you since…"

"After you got injured and I had that big confrontation with Paula, which caused me to fall out with you." Misty reveals.

"Right since then… and we parted on some bad terms…" Lincoln says frowning.

Misty nods. "I know but I've done some soul searching since then… and I've been keeping tabs on you and your life." She informs him.

Lincoln raises his eyebrows after she says that.

"Don't give me that look." Misty says. "I have Facebook and I've looked at your account. Plus, I read up on you, and your new successful career, your marriage and now your new baby that is on the way…"

"And you just decided to jump back into my life, just like that?" Lincoln asks skeptical and trying to find out what Misty was up to.

"I thought with the impending birth of your new child, now would be a good time as ever for us to reconcile for their sake."

Lincoln sighs. "Well, my child is going to have a lot of people that love him or her. Me, Summer, my parents, siblings, Summer's parents and family…"

"And I can fit in there as well, if you would let me." Misty interjects.

Lincoln sighs again. "We've had such a rocky relationship Misty…"

"And now is a good time to repair it Lincoln, don't you think?" She asks.

Lincoln leans back a little and rubs his hand on his face thinking. "I mean..." His voice trails off as he thinks.

"It is." Misty insists firmly. "It's time Lincoln." She tells him. "It's time for us to make peace with each other."

Lincoln thinks a bit more. "Maybe..."

Misty shakes her head. "No maybe about it. It's time. For the sake of your grandchild. That is one thing that Rich Nikki said that I agree with." She tells him. "That a bond with a grandparent and a grandchild can be a wonderful thing. You know that. You had that type of relationship with my mother Evelyn."

Lincoln closes his eyes for a moment and remembers his grandmother who he had loved dearly. She passed away when he was younger but he remembered how much love and support she had given him. He opens his eyes and looks at Misty, an emotional look on his face.

"Yes, I remember having that type of relationship with grandma." He says poignantly.

"Right and you remember how special that was..." Misty reminds him. "So let me have that same type of relationship with my grandchild and you and I can also repair our relationship."

"But you are not the same as grandma..."

Misty nods. "I know. I've made a lot of mistakes Lincoln. Many that I wish I could take back, I promise you that. But it's still not too late for me to make things right if you will let me." She says giving him a serious look.

"I..." Lincoln begins.

"Let me try." Misty asks. She puts her hand on the table. "I'm going to be in town for a bit and we can talk about this some more. And I promise I will try to work hard to prove to you that I am sincere." She tells him.

He gives her a skeptical look. "Like you did the other night, when you crashed my parent's anniversary party?"

Misty makes a face. "Okay, so that was a bit much." She admits. "But you weren't answering my texts and I wanted to talk to you..."

"That wasn't a good look Misty and I don't want you to cause any more trouble." He tells her.

"And I don't want to cause any more trouble." She states to him. "But I do want a relationship with you and my grandchild... So..." She taps her hand on the table. "I think we should give this another try." She suggests.

"Like I said I will be in town for a bit and we can get together some more and you will see that I am sincere. And hopefully we can work ourselves towards a healthier relationship with each other. And then I can get to know my little grandnugget."

Lincoln laughs after she says grandnugget.

"What is it?" Misty asks.

Lincolns shakes his head smiling. "It's just grandma used to call me her little granddnugget as well." He says smiling at the memory of his grandmother.

Misty makes a face and then gives him a knowing smile. "That's the power of family son, it comes out... And why would you want to deny your child that?"

Lincoln sighs. "You do have a point."

Misty nods. "I know I do."

Lincoln thinks for a moment and makes a decision. "Okay, we can talk a bit more and try and work on things while you're in town..."

Misty perks up. "Good."

"But I don't want you starting any trouble, Misty..." He tells her. "I mean it. I am in a very good place in my life and I don't want you bringing trouble into it."

Misty holds up her hand. "I will try and be on my best behavior." She promises him.

"Un-huh." Lincoln then picks up a menu and looks at it. "So would you like to order some lunch?" He asks looking over the menu. "I can order us some food, if you'd like."

"Actually I am famished.." Misty tells him.

"Okay, then I will get us something to eat." Lincoln tells her. They look over their menus and decide what they want to eat. Madison comes back over to the table and they order lunch and spend a bit more time together, before Lincoln leaves telling her he will keep in contact with her. After Misty says good-bye to her son, she watches him walk away and then raises an eyebrow and smiles.


	14. Early Impressions Part II

**Early Impressions Part II**

"I have an idea of how we can start to market these new collections, especially the swimwear one." Monty tells Mattie as they are sitting at a couch in an office at Jabot together looking over some new swimwear on the computer that the company wanted to market.

"What's that?" Mattie asks looking at him.

"Well, promoting it on Social Media." Monty tells her. "That is definitely a big way to market things these days. And I had asked Billy already if it was okay for us to market it that way."

"You did?" Mattie asks.

Monty nods. "I did. I asked him the first day of work, before I left for the day." Monty informs her.

"He said it was okay, even encouraged it, but just laid down a few ground rules about posting on Social Media. He wanted me to try and keep it professional, no inappropriate language or images and of course to make sure I tag and mention Jabot Collective." Monty pauses and then continues.

"I think we should start doing that from our own social media accounts like twitter and then hopefully the posts will get some good circulation., maybe even draw some attention of some major influencers."

Mattie listens to his ideas and thinks. "You think that influencers will just pick up on our tweets just like that?"

Monty nods. "Yes, they have with employees the past." He informs her. "I did some research on past projects with Jabot, around and after the time they launched Jabot Collective and they were working with influencers. Maybe some of those same people would also support these new Summer collections, if they see it mentioned and trending with Jabot Collective."

Mattie nods. "Maybe."

"I know some famous people, through my brothers, so maybe I can contact them through social media, and they can help us."

"Did you run that by Billy too?" Mattie asks.

Monty nods. "I did and he was fine with it."

Monty looks at the computer that is in front of them and then goes to Twitter.

"I may not have the largest Twitter following, but it's enough to jump start things." He states. "And then we can tweet to your followers as well, and hopefully together we can really reach a larger audience."

Mattie makes a face when he mentions her twitter following.

"Uh—okay." She says.

Monty notices her tone. "You do have twitter right…?"

Mattie frowns. "I do but…"

"It's not a private account is it?" Monty asks.

Mattie shakes her head. "No, it's not private but…." Her voice trails off.

"Then we should be able to reach a good amount of people with your followers as well."

Monty logs into his Twitter account and looks at it. Mattie leans over curiously and looks at his Twitter page. She sees the number of followers he has, and her eyes widen a bit.

"75,367 Twitter followers." She says looking at him.

Monty shrugs. "I know that's chump change compared to some. And truth be told a lot of them are because of my connection to my brothers. I have picked up followers after tweeting things at my brothers." He gives her a look. "You know how people like to sometimes follow the family members of famous people." He shrugs again.

"Maybe I could have more, but I do try and be cautious of what I say at least sometimes on Twitter. I wouldn't want something I say to be misconstrued or used against my brothers. Especially Darryl, you know what I mean…" He says giving her a serious look.

Mattie nods, still thinking about his amount of Twitter followers. "Um… I think so. I mean… I don't have famous siblings. Well… my twin brother sometimes wishes he was famous… but…"

Monty smiles. "So, you kind of get it." He logs out of his Twitter account and then hands the computer to her. "Okay, so you can log into yours and we will see what you are working with as far as Twitter followers goes." He tells her. "Do you know roughly how many you have?" He asks.

Mattie puts her hand on her face and looks into his attractive brown eyes. "I am umm... not quite sure exactly…." She stammers.

"Okay, well let's see what you are working with." Monty gestures towards the computer. Mattie takes a breath and then logs into her twitter account. After she does that, Monty leans forward to look at her twitter following. He sees the number and then makes a face.

"_Twelve_ followers." He says and lets out a laugh. "Uh, is that for real?" He asks looking at her. He sees her expression and then his eyes widen a bit. "Oh, it is for real, uh…_okay_." He lets out another laugh.

Mattie gives him a look. "What's so funny?" She asks.

"I mean _Twelve_ followers." He repeats. "I mean... I thought…"

Mattie looks at him and frowns. "You thought what?" She asks.

"I honestly thought you would have more than that." He says looking at her. "Like _considerably_ more."

Mattie hands the computer back to him, a bit annoyed. "Well, I'm sorry not everyone is going to have like 75,000 followers." She tells him in an annoyed tone.

Monty nods. "I know. And I like said many of them came from people who follow my brothers. But I thought…" His voice trails off as he is thinking… "But maybe you're the type of person that…."

Mattie crosses her arms. "I'm the type of person that what?" She asks. "You know I don't really tweet much and most of the people who follow me are my family and a few friends from school."

Monty nods. "Okay, I get that."

"I don't waste a lot of my time tweeting or trying to pick up followers, because I have famous brothers." She claims in a bit of a snappy tone.

"Who says I waste a lot of time tweeting?" Monty says now frowning himself. "Sure, I tweet but I…"

"You know some of us have better things to do than tweet all day trying to hustle followers."

Monty makes a face. "_Hustle_ followers? Hold up now…"

Mattie sits up a bit taller. "I'm just saying. I don't have this obsession with twitter and social media like some people do. Some people live for that stuff, but I don't." She tells him in an almost defiant tone.

Monty puts his hand on his face for a minute thinking. "Okay, but Social Media can be an important tool in the world of business. People can use it to reach a widespread group of people like their followers and potential customers too." He gives Mattie a serious look. "These days some jobs want people that are fluent in social media. Those that are can have a leg up on the competition."

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not fluent in social media." Mattie says. "I prefer to connect with people more in old fashioned ways."

Monty makes a face. "_Old fashioned_ ways?" He asks.

"You know talking to people in person, or even on the phone. And I love to write letters to my dad. There is something very special about writing letters to someone you care about."

Monty nods. "I mean, all that is fine and dandy, but you can reach a lot more people by using the internet and Social Media." He pauses and then thinks a little more.

"So, if you have that low of a Twitter following, your Instagram and Facebook accounts are not exactly overflowing with followers either?" He asks.

"More or less the same amounts on both." Mattie informs him in a matter of fact tone. "And I like it like that, I really do." She affirms to him.

"Sorry that may not be good enough for this project…" She tells him.

A thoughtful look comes across Monty's face. "You know what?" He says. "Every follower counts." He tells her. "We will send out this information about the collections to all of our followers." He states.

"We will try and reach as many people as possible with what we have." He pauses for a moment thinking. "And maybe some of your followers have large followings and they can retweet/send the information to them. So, we can still get some decent mileage out of this."

Monty gestures towards her with his hand. "You said your brother wishes he was famous… maybe he has a good amount of followers and can help spread the word. And your friends. And…" He pauses and looks at her. "Your boyfriend.." He suggests. "Maybe he can help as well? Or does he think like you do and doesn't have or care about a lot of followers?" He asks curiously.

Mattie frowns when Monty mentions her having a boyfriend. "You know what as far as that subject goes. I" … Mattie's voice trails off and she decides not to tell Monty that she didn't have a boyfriend. "You know I... the people that I follow will probably do their bests to help me get the message out about the new collections." She remarks in a cryptic manner.

Monty nods, and wonders about her kind of dodging his question. He decides not to press anymore about that subject. Especially since she already seemed upset with him.

"Okay, well here's hoping whoever you follow will help us get the message out." He goes back to looking online at the collections especially the swimwear. Him and Mattie then talk a bit about what type of messages they want to tweet about it. They decide to tweet some teasers about it and mention there will be more information coming up later. Monty decides to DM and reach out to some famous people that he knows to see if they can help. While they are doing this, Valentina pokes her head into the room.

"Hey guys." She says giving them a big smile. "What are you up to?"

Monty smiles when he sees her. "Hey Valentina, we are just starting to work on our early stages of marketing the collections. Right now we are working on starting to market a bit on Social media. And we will take it from there."

"Cool." Valentina says smiling at him. "Boyd and I have also talked about marketing the fall collections on social media. Though we might wait a little bit before we do that since we still have some time before those collections are launched."

"And Billy said it's okay for us to use social media, though he had some ground rules." Monty relays to her. "Like making sure we tag Jabot Collective in any of our social media posts, not to post any inappropriate language or images or things like that. You can go talk with him, so he can run them by you just to be on the safe side, before you start to market on Social media." He advises her.

Valentina nods. "Sounds good." She says to him. "I think we can probably reach a lot of people with our followers." She tells him optimistically. "I mean I don't have the largest following in the world, but my followers are pretty cool and they will help get the word out."

"How many do you have?" Monty asks curiously.

"A little over 21,000". Valentina tells him. She gives him a coy look. "You think that is too little?" She asks teasingly.

Monty smiles. "I think that is a nice amount and like I was telling Mattie every follower counts."

"Right..." Valentina says. She then turns to Mattie. "And how many do you have?" She asks. "I know that Monty has like over 75,000 and I'm one of them." She admits slyly.

Monty sits up a bit straighter on the couch and smiles. "You follow me?" He asks a bit flattered.

"I do." She tells him. "We're working together now and I must admit, I was a bit curious about you and searched you out. You're an interesting follow, so yeah I decided to follow you." She tells him smiling. "That's cool with you?" She asks.

Monty nods, and looks at her, his face breaking into another smile. "That's definitely cool." He says.

"Cool." Valentina tells him. "And feel free to follow me back." She says. She gives him her Twitter name.

"Will do." Monty says and they look at each other for a moment smiling. Mattie watches this and tries not to roll her eyes. She had only been working at Jabot for a couple of days, but she had already noticed how flirty Valentina seemed to be with Monty. And for some reason it annoyed her.

"Well..." Mattie says jumping back into the conversation. "Now that we've all discussed our Twitter followings, Monty and I should probably be getting back to work."

Valentina nods. "Right, but you never did answer my question. How many followers do you have?" She asks again.

"You know I have an idea, and I will run it by Billy, if we can all promote each collection that is coming out... Boyd and I can help you guys promote the Summer collections on Social Media, and you can help us with our fall collections." She pauses and continues... "So... how many do you have, Mattie?" She asks again.

Mattie frowns, she really didn't want to end up having the same conversation with Valentina that she just had with Monty. But she decides to be honest about her twitter following.

"Twelve." She tells Valentina bluntly.

"_Twelve?!_" Valentina snickers. "You're joking right?" She looks at Monty and laughs and then looks back at Mattie's serious face.

"_Oh_, you're_ not_ joking." She says. "Oh...well uh.. okay." She makes a face. She then shrugs.

"There are some people that just aren't into Social Media like that." She says.

"Yeah, there are still a few of us unicorns out there like that." Mattie says with a bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeah... okay." Valentina says and an awkward silence fills the room.

"Alright then well I guess I will let you guys get back to work. And I will go work with Boyd on our marketing strategies." She turns to leave and then turns back to look at Monty.

"Talk to you later, Monty, and make sure you check out my Twitter, I'm on Instagram too." She says grinning at him. He returns her smile and she leaves.

"Now it's time for us to get back to work." Mattie says looking at Monty. He nods and they spend the remainder of the work day doing things like talking more about how they wanted to market the collections on social media as well as start to discuss and plan some other strategies for marketing.


	15. Another New Chapter and A New Search

** Another New Friendship and A New Search**

"How are you doing?" Nate Hastings Jr. turns around as he hears the familiar voice. He smiles when he sees her face. She comes over and sits beside him as he's having a drink at the bar at the GCAC. It had been a long day at work and he just wanted to wind down with a drink and a good plate of food.

"I'm doing fine, Phyllis." He tells her smiling.

"Are you now?" Phyllis says looking at him. "I've haven't seen you in a bit." She remarks. "And I was wondering how one of my favorite men was doing." She leans towards him as they are sitting together.

"Long hours at the hospital?" She inquires.

He nods. "You can say that." He looks down at his drink for a moment with a thoughtful expression on his face. He then looks up at her.

"But it looks like you got a little break now." She observes astutely.

He nods again.

"And would you like some company?" She asks smiling at him.

He laughs. "Well, you're already here so…"

"Cool." Phyllis says. She orders a drink and then takes a sip of it and looks at him.

"So, Dr. Hastings what are you doing here by yourself?" She asks him curiously.

"Having a drink, getting ready to order a meal." He tells her in a matter of fact manner.

"That's fine and dandy…but…" Phyllis leans towards him and whispers, teasingly. "Why are you doing this by yourself?"

Nate smiles. "Well you're here, and since you are here, have you eaten yet?" He asks. "I haven't seen you in a little bit and we should catch up. So, if you would like I can buy you dinner and we could do that." He smiles at her again. "Since you're already here."

Phyllis taps her hands on the bar. "You know what I haven't. And yes, I will take you up on your offer. Thanks." She then looks at the menu at the bar and puts it down for a moment and looks at Nate.

"So… when was the last time you've done that?" She asks curiously.

"Try and catch up with you?" He asks.

She nods and makes a face. "Well, it's been a little bit, but I mean buy dinner for a woman. When's the last time you've done _that_?" She asks looking into his face.

Nate sighs. "Phyllis…."

She moves her head. "Answer the question. When's the last time you bought dinner for a woman. And not for a friend, but on an actual date?"

Nate sighs. "It's been, man I can't…"

"It's been a minute, hasn't it?" Phyllis concludes sitting back a little. She lightly touches Nate on the arm.

"Nate… you're a fine handsome man, and a successful doctor. You should be on a date. A real one." Phyllis insists.

"But then I wouldn't have the time to talk to you about not having one." Nate jokes.

Phyllis smiles. "I'm serious, Nate. You should be enjoying yourself…"

He nods. "Well, I've been busy at the hospital and handling tasks for the Board at Hamilton Winters."

Phyllis moves her head from side to side. "Excuses, Excuses." She gives Nate a serious look. "You should make the time for a personal life." A thoughtful expression comes across her face.

"You can't let some… failures in the past stop you from enjoying yourself again."

Nate turn and looks at her, a somber look on his face. He sighs again. "I don't know Phyllis. Maybe it's just best if I remain single for a while."

She shakes her head. "But you _have_ been single for a while, Nate…. And don't you want to get back on that horse?" She probes.

"Not when the horses keep throwing me off." He says.

Phyllis laughs. "Come on Nate, you just haven't found the right woman." She becomes quiet when she thinks for a moment. "I mean let's look at your past situations."

Nate takes another sip of his drink. "I would rather not." He comments hesitantly. He waves his hand dismissively. "I really don't want to talk about that stuff."

Phyllis points a finger on the bar. "That stuff is regarding your happiness, Nate."

"Happiness, Happiness..." He says in a sing song voice. "I'm happy. I have a good job, a lot of family members that I care about, my good health and a rent-free penthouse…." He shrugs his shoulders. "What more do I need?"

"I don't know, A woman to share your life with." Phyllis says bluntly.

Nate gives her a look. "Un-huh. Well… I tried to go in that direction and some things happened and… well here I am."

"Un-huh, but you a great guy Nate and you shouldn't give up." Phyllis insists. "You're certainly a good friend. You know when I came back into town almost a couple of years ago... after I lost Jabot and had a rocky relationship with my daughter. you were one of the few people in town not to cast judgment on me." Phyllis reminds him. "I remember when we first started to get closer, I had sprained my ankle one day and you helped me… and we became friends." She smiles at him. "I think good friends."

Nate nods. "I would agree with that."

"And I've gotten to know you and seen the type of man that you are, and I know you have a lot to offer a woman."

Nate looks down at his glass and sighs. "Yeah..."

"And I know and have witnessed you try to offer it to some women and for whatever reasons, they weren't the right women, or it wasn't the right situation." Phyllis relays to him.

"Like with Abby." She begins.

Nate makes a face. "Yeah, Abby."

"I witnessed how hard you tried to relate to her and please her."

"Uh… Well, I was able to connect with her on some solid levels…"

"But in true Abby fashion, I believe that the relationship didn't grow as much as it could have grown. Or last as long as it should have lasted. That tends to be a pattern with her and her relationships. She's constantly failing at them." Phyllis states tersely.

"Well it takes two to make it work…" Nate adds.

"And I believe you tried, but it seemed like she would never let you all the way in." Phyllis taps her fingers on the bar thinking. "Maybe because of all her past failures with men, that caused her to be hesitant with a man who was a really good guy for her." Phyllis then makes some gestures with her hands.

"And then all that dragging of her feet, kind of doomed a union with you and her." Phyllis gives Nate a serious look. "I know you tried with her."

Nate nods. "I did and she kind of tried."

Phyllis laughs. "Ha-ha ha… _Kind of_, I love your honesty Nate."

Nate laughs. "Yeah, I mean… you know what... Abby is a nice person and I was grateful to get to know her better. It didn't work out and go as far I'd hoped, but I am still glad I got to know her."

"Un-huh." Phyllis says. She continues talking about his love life.

"And then after Abby.."

Nate closes his eyes not wanting to talk about where this conversation was headed next...

"Phyllis..."

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but you have to assess your past so you can make better decisions in the future." Phyllis advises him. "So after Abby you..."

"I let my feelings go to a place they shouldn't have. I overstepped when it came to my feelings..."

"You fell for..." Phyllis begins.

Nate shakes his head and closes his eyes. "It shouldn't have happened."

"You can't stop the heart from wanting what it wants... And your heart wanted..." She gives Nate a knowing look.

He looks at her. "You really are going to make me say it."

"Owning your baggage is a big step in really moving on and bettering your life. Trust me I know."

Nate looks off in the distance for a moment and then looks back at Phyllis.

He puts his hand up. "Okay... Phyllis I will say it." He sighs deeply. "I fell for my... cousin's girlfriend." He reveals.

Phyllis nods. "See that wasn't so bad." She tells him. "Admit the truth. _Own_ it."

Nate shakes his head. "It still sounds bad."

Phyllis widens her eyes for a moment and she purses her lips. "But it's what happened." She says in a matter of fact manner.

"I don't want to rehash this again, Phyllis." Nate says. "Me falling for Elena was a mistake, one that had a negative impact on my relationship with my cousin."

"But you two are okay now." Phyllis interjects. "You're both alright. Devon moved on and has a new family." She pauses thinking and smiles. " And I think everytime he looks into his precious son's eyes and thinks about the life he's sharing with him and his wife, he's thankful things didn't work out between him and Elena. So you did him a favor."

Nate laughs sarcastically. "He didn't see it that way at the time... and it caused problems between us."

"But everything ended up working out. And you two are in a solid place again right?" Phyllis asks him.

Nate nods. "Yeah, it took a bit of time, but me and him... we're alright now." He reveals.

"Good." Phyllis nods. "And it helps that neither one of you ended up with Elena." She remarks bluntly.

Nate frowns and then lets out a laugh in spite of himself..."Phyllis..."

"I mean you didn't... I'm just saying..." She says truthfully. "And you know that is for the best. Devon would never have the family and love he has now had he stayed with Elena. And you..."

"Wouldn't be here talking with you about my failed love life..." He tells her, shaking his head.

"I was actually going to put a more positive spin on things." Phyllis says. "I was going to say you wouldn't be on the way to finding the best woman for you. Which wasn't Abby and even though you loved her, wasn't Elena either."

Nate looks down at his glass and takes another sip. "Right, okay." He says a bit skeptical.

Phyllis rubs his arm. "Come on Nate, you're usually more positive than this." She reminds him. "And there is a woman out there for you. And she's not going to drag her feet or refuse to let you all the way in. And she's not romantically involved with anybody else. A woman out there who will really appreciate you, and give you the love you deserve." Phyllis sits up a little in her seat. "Someone who you can share your happy life with."

"Un-huh and where do you suppose I find this woman?" Nate asks curiously.

"I don't know, but maybe I can help you find her."

Nate makes a face. "What?" He asks. "You're going to help me find the right woman for me." He turns his head to the side, giving her a look and then he smiles. "Oh-kay."

"I mean I could try. Maybe I could point you in the right direction." Phyllis suggests.

Nate raises his eyebrows. "Um-hum." He then looks around. "Where is our server?" He asks. "We should probably be ordering that dinner now."

Phyllis touches his arm again and he turns to look at her. "I'm serious, Nate. I could help you. At the very least. I could encourage you to mingle more." She tells him. "I mean when is the last time you've been to a club, or dancing?" She asks. "When's the last time you've had some real fun?" She inquires.

"Maybe you and I can pick a night next week and go to Society and dance and mingle with some people." She suggests helpfully. "A lot of ladies there would love to meet and interact with a handsome, successful, doctor."

"Well, like I've said, I've been really busy with work at the hospital and with the Board, so I haven't been exactly clubbing it up." Nate says sarcastically.

"But you have nights off at times, so let's pick one of them and go somewhere like Society, and mingle, dance and find you a nice lady."

Nate laughs. "I appreciate your offer Phyllis, but I feel like I am the one that should be in charge of my love life. I mean... I should find my own lady."

Phyllis leans back and looks at him. "Okay, that's fine, but I can still steer you in the right direction if I spot someone... And I could be your wing woman." She offers.

A surprised look comes across Nate's face and he laughs after she says that. "My _wing woman_?" He asks making sure he hadn't misheard her.

Phyllis nods. "Yes, I can be that for you."

"Phyllis...uh..."

"It's not as strange as it sounds, Nate. Like I said I could simply point you in the direction of nice women, maybe make some introductions and let nature take it's course."

Nate makes a face. "I don't know about that."

"Come on, I'm your friend and I can help you." Phyllis insists.

"Yeah... you are..." Nate says looking at her and giving her a sincere smile. "You are." He repeats.

"So..." Phyllis says looking at him, hoping he would agree with her idea.

"We can get together one night when I have off and we can go dancing. But all this wing woman stuff...eh..." Nate says unsure.

Phyllis lightly slaps the bar with her hand. "Okay baby steps. We'll start out taking you dancing and we'll go from there."

"Hmmm..." Nate says and then they look at each other and smile and the server finally comes over and takes their orders for dinner.

"Okay, so now that we've talked about my lack of a love life, let's talk about you." Nate suggests. "How are you doing?" He asks. "Everything going okay?"

"I'm doing fine." Phyllis tells him. "I'm excited about my new grandbaby that is on the way."

"Summer's doing okay?" Nate asks.

Phyllis smiles. "She's doing fine." She confirms to him. "And I can't wait to meet my new grandchild."

Nate smiles at her. "I'm happy to hear that." He tells her sincerely.

"Yeah, both Nick and I are excited. So is Summer's whole family really." She confirms to him. A concerned look then comes across her face.

Nate notices it. "What's up?" He asks.

"Well, I am concerned about one family member." Phyllis confesses to him.

"Who is that?" He asks curiously.

"My son-in-law's biological mother." Phyllis informs him. She then goes on to tell him what happened with Misty at the Lattimore's anniversary party. "She showed up the other night, unannounced, unvited to an anniversary he was giving for his parents."

"That's right, he's adopted." Nate remarks.

Phyllis nods. "And he loves his parents like crazy. But this lady, Misty, that's her name crashed through that party and made a big ugly scene... and _whoo_ she feels like trouble Nate." Phyllis says to him, concerned.

"And if anyone knows what trouble is it's me." Phyllis says giving him a knowing look.

"Did she explain why she showed up like that out of the blue?" Nate asks her curiously.

Phyllis makes a face. "She claims she wanted to repair her relationship with her son and get to know her grandchild."

"That sounds reasonable..." Nate remarks.

"But... why make such a big scene like that, and disrespect the people who raised him?" Phyllis wonders. "I don't know Nate, the situation was very tense and it felt like trouble." She repeats. Her eyes widen for a moment. "And I think it's something I might need to keep my eye on. I don't want this Misty lady doing something that could seriously stress out my daughter during her pregnancy. Or in general."

"Well, you be careful when you are keeping your eye on things. And don't get yourself into trouble." Nate advises her.

"I'll try not to." Phyllis promises him. Their food then arrives and they enjoy it and continue to enjoy each other's company during the dinner, before they part ways and head home for the evening.


	16. Relaxing at Crimson Lights

**Relaxing at Crimson Lights**

Mattie was standing at the counter at Crimson Lights. It was a Saturday, and she had the day off from work. She was dressed in a light wash colored sleeveless denim jumpsuit, that was sleeveless and exposed her shoulders and some of her back. She was also wearing pink strappy sandals. She was wearing her hair down, and she looked pretty and was feeling very relaxed.

"Looking like a snack." She hears a familiar voice as someone approaches her at the counter. She looks up into Monty's playful eyes. He smiles at her and she feels her face grow warm. He is dressed in a gray fitted T-shirt and a pair of green trouser pants. He looked very handsome as usual and was also feeling relaxed and getting ready to enjoy his day off.

"What did yo-ou say?" She stammers a little as she looks into his eyes.

"I said it looks like you are enjoying a snack." He indicates to the plate in front of her that had an assortment of cheeses, crackers fruit and some nuts up there.

"Oh, I thought you meant... uh..." Mattie touches her neck and looks up at him. "You're right… I am enjoying a snack."

"It looks good too." Monty observes. "It's good to see you getting your protein." He says in a lighthearted manner.

Mattie smiles. "Yeah…."

"Look, I don't want to bother you or anything, I just saw you standing here, and I… just wanted to come over and say hello." He tells her looking her over and smiling.

"Well... hi..." Mattie says to him and hopes she doesn't sound awkward.

"Hello…" He says. They smile at each other.

"You know this is a good day to have off." Monty comments. "Nice weather outside, it's a good day to have some fun." He observes. "I have some plans for today. Do you?" He asks curiously.

"Uh…" Mattie shakes her head. "Not really. I think that today will probably be a day that I just chill… you know."

Monty nods. "I understand. Nothing wrong with that." He pauses for a moment and then continues. "Though, if you don't mind me saying, you look very nice today." He compliments her. "You look like you should be going somewhere."

"Uh… Thank you." Mattie says looking into his eyes and feeling her face grow warm again.

"But I get wanting to relax and decompress from the work week." He remarks understandingly. He pauses and continues. "Speaking of that... I thought we had a productive first few days at work." He remarks. "I liked some of your ideas you had about some of our marketing strategies."

"Well, I may not have the most twitter followers, but I think that I have good ideas for other ways to help market the collections." Mattie tells him confidently.

"You do." Monty tells her. "And I think together we can really help launch these new collections in a good way that could be good for Jabot and for us." He makes a gesture with his hand. "Together you and I along with Boyd and Valentina could really help Jabot continue to be successful." He states optimistically.

"I think we all have some good ideas; Valentina has some good ideas that I think can really help us promote these products. I was talking with her just last night about them…"

Mattie frowns when she hears him mention Valentina's name. "Yeah… that Valentina, she is just bursting with ideas…" She says.

"She's really smart. And very ambitious. I really like her." Monty admits to Mattie.

Mattie frowns again. She crosses her arms. "Well, that's good you like her, it's a good thing for people to like their co-workers, or at least that's what my mom says…"

"Well, I'm glad to hear you are listening to advice from your mother." A voice says from behind Mattie. She turns around and sees Lily who had just arrived behind her.

"Mom…" She says.

"Hi, honey." Lily says and hugs her.

"Sorry, I'm late." Lily apologizes to her. "I had just had to stop off at Hamilton-Winters and do a few things." Lily looks down at Mattie's plate. "And it looks like you ordered something to eat already." She observes smiling. Lily then looks at Monty and her smile becomes wider.

"And you were talking to your... friend?" She asks.

Mattie makes a face. "Mom, this is Monty Lattimore." She introduces him. "We work together at Jabot."

"Oh…. so _you're_ Monty." Lily says looking at Monty and smiling again. "Nice to meet you." She reaches out and shakes his hand.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Ashby." He says shaking her hand.

"Mattie has been telling me about some of what you guys have been up to at Jabot." Lily informs him.

"It is exciting. Your daughter and I have been strategizing about some ways we can promote some new clothing collections. And it's been interesting and fun." Monty tells Lily.

Monty chats with Lily a little more. He then looks down at his watch. "Oh, I guess I better be getting out of here. If you ladies will excuse me, I'm going to go spend some time with my brother." He laughs.

"I'm going to get him out of the house to have some fun. He's been working a lot and making preparations for his new baby. I figured today would be a good day for him to relax and for us to have some fun together." He pauses and then continues."We're supposed to go rock climbing today. And then maybe go for a nice bike ride." He turns to look at Mattie. "Have you ever been rock climbing?" He asks.

Mattie shakes her head. "No."

Monty smiles at her. "You should try it sometimes it's fun." Mattie feels her face getting warm again. They chat for a little more and then Monty orders some food, grabs it and bids the ladies good-bye.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Ashby." He tells Lily. "And see you at work on Monday, Mattie." He says looking at her and smiling.

"Nice to meet you Monty." Lily says.

"See you later." Mattie says and they watch him walk away. They then turn to look at each other and Lily gives Mattie a big smile and a knowing look.

"Well, you didn't mention how _handsome_ he is." Lily teases Mattie.

"Oh, is he…" Mattie says looking down at her plate and picking up a grape to eat it.

"Yeah, he is…" Lily states laughing. "And it looks like you think so too, considering how you kept blushing when he was talking to you."

"I'm not blushing." Mattie denies her mother's claims.

Lily shakes her head amused. "Yeah, you were, you still are, your cheeks are rosy honey..."

Mattie touches her cheeks and wonders if Monty noticed.

Lily laughs. "That's awesome Mattie. I'm glad you made a very handsome friend. And he seems nice." Lily shrugs. "And maybe you could do something like go rock climbing with him some time." She lightly touches her daughter's arm. "Get out and have some fun, with a handsome young man..."

"He wasn't asking if I would go with him…." Mattie says.

Lily makes a face. "Hmmm, well maybe one day he will ask you to do something with him. And if he does, you should do it." Lily encourages her. "Not only are you smart, but you're young and pretty and you deserve to enjoy yourself sometimes." Lily folds her arms and looks at her. "Especially with a nice handsome young man."

Mattie nods and eats some more of her food.

Lily orders her a drink and some food as well. Her and Mattie eat and talk to each other. While they are doing that Nick shows up at Crimson Lights and heads to the counter to place an order as well. He smiles when he sees Lily.

"Hey, Lily." He greets her.

Lily wipes her mouth with a napkin and returns his smile. "Hi Nick." She says cheerily. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing, fine." Nick says and grabs a seat beside her at the counter.

"How are you doing, Mattie?" Nick asks her.

"I'm doing fine." Mattie tells him smiling. "How are you doing?" She asks him.

"I'm doing well actually." Nick confirms to her.

He then looks at Lily and continues to talk to her. "Just came in here to grab something to eat and drink. I'm taking a break from Newman today and later I will be spending some time with Faith."

Lily nods. "Sounds great. I had went into Hamilton-Winters earlier this morning to help with some things." She informs him. "Devon is a bit swamped right now with the situation with his wife's family and taking care of a little baby. I wanted to offer an extra pair of hands to help out." She takes a sip of her drink.

"Sophia has decided to take the job offer of running Power Communications and with her fully on board now, I think that will help ease some of the workload."

Nick nods. "I hear that."

Lily lightly touches Nick's arm. "Oh, I wanted to tell you that Summer threw the lovliest bridal shower the other day for Ana. We all had a blast there." She says to him graciously.

Nick smiles. "Summer is having fun helping Ana and Fen plan their wedding. She's pumped to be planning the wedding of her two best friends." Nick states knowingly to Lily.

"Well, she really is a doing a great job and it's exciting watching this wedding be put together. I got my invitation the other day. It was very nicely done." Lily pauses and continues. "You know I'm actually very excited for this wedding." She confesses to Nick.

"You are?" Nick asks.

Lily nods. "I am." She sighs. "Ana and Fen are such a lovely couple, and I want them to be happy... I remember what it was like to be in love and be excited about the idea of getting married..."

Nick nods. "Me too on more than one occasion." He admits sheepishly.

Him and Lily laugh. "Oh, yeah you know I am apart of that club, too." Lily says truthfully.

"Including more on one occasion to the same person." Nick says and they laugh again.

"Yeah..." Lily admits sheepishly. She then places her hand on the counter and looks at Nick. "But here's hoping that one time is all that Fen and Ana need and that they don't have all the struggles and breakups that some of us have unfortunately had."

"Right on." Nick agrees.

Lily holds her cup. "So yeah, I'm looking forward to attending the wedding and seeing some people that I haven't seen in a while like Ana's mom Harmony and a few others. It should be a nice event. And very romantic." Lily says smiling. "I do love weddings, I just can't help myself."

"Is Cane coming to the wedding?" Nick asks curiously.

Lily shrugs. "You know I'm not sure. He got an invitation... so maybe. You know he's been enjoying himself in Europe with Traci. Her latest is book is doing well and he's been supporting her while she's on a book tour over there."

"They're still going strong, huh." Nick remarks.

Lily nods. She puts her cup down and puts her hands on top of each other on the counter. "You know at first, I admit it was a little strange to see Cane and Traci date." She admits to Nick. "I mean don't get me wrong she is a wonderful person and any man would be lucky to have her."

Nick nods. "That true." He agrees.

Lily makes a face. "But you know she's is the twins' godmother and her and I have always had a connection because of Colleen..."

"I understand."

"So, it was a little different at first... but you know like I said Traci is a really good person and she's good for Cane." Lily admits honestly. "And after our last divorce my biggest wish for him was him to continue to try and be the best father for our children. And he has done that. And Traci has not stopped him from doing that.." She shrugs. "So.. I'm cool with it." She states firmly. "Plus, she's a good mother figure to Sam, who needed a mother."

Nick smiles. "It sounds like it all worked out for them."

"Yes it has." Lily acknowledges. "And I'm happy for them... and who knows maybe Cane will show up with Traci as his plus one to the wedding. And of course Sam. He's invited too." Lily laughs. A thoughtful look then comes across her face.

"Speaking of plus ones, we all are allowed one. I wonder who I should bring..." She thinks for a moment. "I mean this is a family event, so all my relatives are already invited. It's not like I can bring one of the twins, as my plus one." Lily muses. "Hmm..."

"Anybody else you can think of?" Nick asks.

Lily looks at him for a minute and smiles. "Hey... would you like to go to a wedding?" She asks.

Nick touches his chest. "Me?" He asks a bit surprised.

"Yeah, you." Lily says laughing. "You are the father of the matron of honor, so you already have a connection. Plus I can invite anyone I want." She gives him a look and smiles. "So are you interested in going with me? As my plus one and friend?" She asks.

"When is it?" Nick asks. Lily tells him the date.

"I'd have to double check my schedule, but I do believe I am free that day." Nick tells her. "So..." He thinks for a moment. "Yeah, I will go with you."

Lily smiles. "Awesome. We can enjoy great food, dance to some good music and hope that Fen and Ana have a better outcome with their marriage than either one of us did with ours."

Nick laughs sheepishly. "Sounds like a plan. It's a date."

They laugh and talk some more enjoying their time together.


	17. Bits and Pieces

**Bits and Pieces**

Schuyler enters Crimson Lights to grab a quick bite and a drink. She freezes when she steps on the patio and looks inside the entrance. She sees some familiar faces, including _him_. She cringes when she sees _him. _

Inside the coffee house, Nick was still talking with Lily and Mattie, Billy/Kyle/Jack and Victoria were also all enjoying food and drinks together. Schuyler had intended to get some coffee and some food and eat on the inside, but now she just felt like walking away.

_No, I am not going to let him stop me from getting something to eat… I will show him he doesn't affect me._ She thinks to herself. She takes a breath and heads inside the coffeehouse. On her way to the counter, Billy, Kyle and Jack all see her and make various faces, from raised eyebrows to frowns. Nick also notices her and frowns. Schuyler heads towards the counter and sees there are a few people in line ahead of her. While in line, Schuyler hears tidbits of conversation that annoys her and makes her cringe. The first thing that she hears is Victoria/Billy laughing as they are showing Kyle and Jack a funny picture of Johnny and Katie.

"Oh, this picture of us with Katie and Johnny is just the funniest thing." Victoria says showing the picture to Kyle and Jack.

"Yes, me making a total fool of myself with my kids and the woman that I love." Billy says smiling proudly.

Schuyler frowns deeply when she hears this exchange. She then hears a tidbit of another conversation with Jack/Kyle.

"So, how it's going with you and your new lady…?" Jack asks Kyle.

"Pretty good. I'm taking her to a concert tomorrow night. It's one of her favorite bands…." Kyle says smiling at Jack.

"Atta boy." Jack says encouraging Kyle's new relationship. Schuyler frowns again and tries not to roll her eyes. She starts to get angrier the more she hears the men in the coffeehouse enjoying themselves and talking about the women in their life. Once the line in front of her has witled down, she gets up to the counter and places her order.

She hears a bit of Nick's conversation with Lily next.

"I think that you and I are going to have a really good time at this wedding together." She hears Nick tell Lily. "It will be fun for us to just shoot the breeze together."

"I'm looking forward to it, and how good of a dancer are you...?" Lily asks him. Schuyler cringes inwardly when she's hears this exchange. And she continues to get upset as she continues to hear more bits and pieces from the different men's conversations and feeling very angry whenever _he_ speaks.

The cashier brings Schuyler's order to the front and grabs some napkins and utensils for her.

"To go...Right?" The server asks. While the server continues to get everything together for her, Schuyler hears more bits and pieces of conversation.

"I tell you I can get down…" Nick brags to Lily. "We really are going to have so much fun together, you'll see…I'm a good date to take to the wedding."

"I'm glad you are enjoying yourself with your new lady…son…" Jack says to Kyle.

"Me too, Dad, I know I've said this before, but I really hope this relationship goes somewhere. I am enjoying spending time with her." Kyle admits happily to Jack.

"We are going to drop the kids off with their grandparents next weekend, when we have our romantic getaway together." Billy informs Jack and Kyle.

"Ha ha!". Victoria's voice rings out in laughter as Billy leans over and kisses her on the cheek.

Hearing all the romantic sounding comments especially from _him_, makes Schuyler feel even angrier and she starts to feel like she will be sick. She quickly grabs her bag and drink and rushes out of the restaurant to eat her meal in her car, before she goes into work at the GCAC club that day. On her way out she wonders if he notices her. All the men notice her storming out. The one that she was romantically involved with does glance at her a bit longer, than the others but goes back to having conversation. He continues to enjoy himself and is glad he got out of that situation while he did.

Schuyler goes out into her car in the parking lot, takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

_I can't let him ending things with me get to me._ She thinks to herself. _I am strong. I can do this_. Schuyler then takes a sip of her drink and sighs heavily.

_Why I am such a failure at relationships? _She thinks to herself. Tears well up in her eyes. _No man ever seems to want to make anything work with me. _She thinks. She sighs again and takes another sip of her drink and then opens up her breakfast sandwich. She bites it, and tries to enjoy the food, and erase the sound of his voice out of her mind. After she's done eating, she gets in her car and heads away to get ready to go to work.

After she gets ready for work she heads to the GCAC and gets ready to begin her shift for the day. She smiles when she sees her favorite customer sitting down by himself. She quickly goes over to talk to him.

"Hey Fen.. how are you doing...?" She asks him giving him a bright smile.

He returns her smile. "I'm doing fine Schuyler... How are you doing?" He asks.

"Better now." She says looking into his handsome face. "It was a little rough, earlier but.. now it's much better." She says looking into his face and sighing happily.

"I'm glad to hear that." Fen tells her sincerely.

"So...uh, where is your fiancée?" She asks him curiously.

"Oh, she's at work. There are a lot of things she's working on there and she might actually be there until late tonight." He informs Schuyler.

Schuyler smiles. "So you're here all by your lonesome..." She says teasingly.

Fen shrugs his shoulders. "It's okay. The food is good and the service is nice." He says giving her a smile.

She smiles at him again, enjoying being around him. "Un-huh... Well, I'm glad you're here, whether you're by yourself or not. I enjoy serving you as a customer."

Fen smiles. "Thank you." He thinks for a moment. "And thank you again for your recommendation. Tiffany really is excellent at what she does."

"So you got it?"

Fen nods. "Yes, just wrapping up a few last minutes details, but it's mine now. And I can't wait to surprise Ana, with it." He tells Schuyler.

"She's probably going to be thrilled."

"I hope so. I want her to love this surprise." Fen says. "It will be my first gift to her as her husband."

"She should love it." Schuyler assures him. "She would be crazy not to."

Fen laughs. "Well, Ana's definitely not crazy. And I really do hope she will appreciate this gift. I think she will. I can't wait to present it to her."

"So you're really going to give it to her right after you're married?" Schuyler clarifies.

"After our honeymoon, when we come back to town." Fen informs Schuyler.

"Sounds like something that will start the marriage off on a really good foot." She remarks.

Fen nods. "I definitely hope so." Him and Schuyler chat for a little more. She asks him about where him and Ana are honeymooning. He tells her and then talks about how he's looking forward to relaxing on the beach with Ana. While he's talking about being on the beach with Ana, Schuyler zones out and she imagines him shirtless on the beach. She then pictures herself in a bikini on the beach with him. She shakes her head and snaps out of it.

"So, those are our honeymoon plans." He finishes telling Schuyler.

"Sounds great. I uh... hope you have a great time." They talk for a little more and then Schuyler takes his order. She then takes his order into the kitchen to give it to the chef. She tries her best to stay focus and not like let the type of thoughts she was having about him distract her. After Fen's food is ready she brings it to him and he enjoys it and looks forward to spending time with Ana later on. He'd hoped he would see her that night, but if she worked too late, he might not see her until the next day. But regardless of when he saw her, he was looking forward to spending time with her.


	18. Chatting in the Apartment

**Chatting in the Apartment**

"Honey, I'm home!" Ana calls out as she enters Fen's apartment. She had gotten off from work and had stopped by to see him before she went home.

"Oh, are you." Fen says. He kisses her.

"I wasn't sure I was going to see you today." He says as she follows him into the apartment.

"Well, I wasn't sure either, but I got enough work done, so I could stop by and see you." She says to him.

"I am glad." Fen says. He sits on the couch in his living room and Ana puts her purse down on the floor. She is about to sit down beside him, but he reaches up his hand for her to take it. She grabs it and he pulls her down and sits her down on his lap. Ana smiles and takes a moment to smooth out the dress she was wearing. She then puts her arms around his shoulders.

"_Ah_, this is comfortable." She says and they kiss again.

"Yes, it is." Fen says.

"So how was your day?" He asks resting his hand on her leg and rubbing it.

"Very busy." Ana explains to him. "Things have been really busy at Hamilton-Winters lately. You know with Devon being out of town right now trying to help his wife deal with her family situation. And he's taken Kenny with him this time." She reveals to Fen.

"Is there anything that I can do to help?" Fen asks concerned. "Your family is about to be my family too."

Ana sighs and rest her face against Fen's. "It's some stuff going on there but Devon is supporting his wife and trying to handle it."

Fen nods. "Okay, I hope everything ends up working out okay."

Ana nods. "Me too and hopefully they will all be back by the wedding."

"I hope so. I want my little dude Kenny there, representing."

Ana laughs. "You love you some Kenny."

"I do." Fen admits smiling. "I feel like I have a connection with the little guy."

"You do." Ana remarks. "And I feel that way with him too… But yeah. Devon is gone for now and Lily and Sophia have been really stepping up and helping out at Hamilton-Winters... We are all working together to hold things down, though we may have to hire at least a few more people to help out with things at some point."

"And a lot of people would jump at the opportunity to work for the company." Fen replies in a matter of fact manner.

"Yes, so we may be hiring some more new people soon." Ana informs him.

Ana then pulls away a little and looks at Fen. She puts her hand on his face and smiles. "And how was your day Fen?" She asks.

"Talked with Scott and Xavier about the wedding. Looked at some tuxedos for myself and them. Did some other, stuff…. had dinner at the GCAC, wished you were there..." He rattles off what he did for the day.

"I wish I was there too." Ana tells him. "But things will start to slow down and we can start having more dinners together…" Ana looks at him and smiles brightly. "And lunches and breakfasts…And we can start cooking more too, and use some of the wedding gifts, I received."

"Sounds good." Fen says.

"Yeah, I'm going to be bringing that stuff in here shortly after we're married and my other items…" Ana playfully pokes his shoulder. "So, make room soon to be hubby."

"I definitely have room for you and your stuff." Fen says smiling at her and nuzzling his face into her neck. "You know that."

"Okay, because I'm coming with it, _all_ of it…" Ana teases him, rubbing his back.

Fen pulls away from her a little, makes a face and then laughs. "Then come with _all_ of it then. I'm not afraid of sharing with you."

Ana laughs. "I know babe, I'm just teasing you."

Fen nods. "I know."

"But…." Ana says looking at him with a little gleam in her eyes. "We may have to rearrange some things in here to fit my stuff."

Fen nods. "Okay, do what you want…my home is your home, and you can decorate it or arrange things to your hearts content. I don't care as long as you're here with me. And…" He says, rubbing her leg again. "I know you're not 100% in love with my apartment and want to add your own touches to it."

"I love your apartment." Ana claims trying to convince him.

He gives her a look. "Un-huh." He says in an amused tone. He laughs.

Ana eyes widen. "I do…" She says trying to convince him again. She gives him a look and then laughs.

"Like I said, you do whatever you need to do to make what is going to be our home together suit your needs and tastes." He tells her.

"Great. And I will be happy to live with you Fen. I'd live anywhere with you." She tells him sincerely.

"Good to know." They look at each other and kiss again. They kiss for a bit and then Ana pulls away.

"Oh…." She says, a realization hitting her.

"What's the matter?" Fen asks.

Ana looks at the time. "It's getting really late; I have to get out of here. I have a few things I need to look over at home, that I need to work on tomorrow at work. It's going to be another long day…" She tells him.

Fen rests his forehead against hers for a moment. "So, I have to let you go for now…" He says a bit disappointed.

She sighs, and pulls away a little, giving him an apologetic look. "Yes, for now. But I will make time for you later. It's just been so busy at work... you know with everything that's been going on."

Fen nods. "I understand." He then grins at her. "And soon I will be able to keep you up past your bedtime more often."

"Right…" Ana kisses him again. And then she gets off his lap. He then stands up as well.

"Okay, so I will call you later." She says looking at Fen. "Sorry we couldn't spend more time with each other tonight Fen."

"It's alright. I get it you're a busy woman, with you being the Head of LP and all of the other things you do at Hamilton-Winters." Fen remarks in a matter of fact manner.

"You're a boss and a hard-working woman." He smiles at her. "And I have to get in where I fit in." He jokes.

Ana smiles. "You know where you fit in." She wraps her arms around him and kisses him again. She then lets him go. "So, I will talk to you later."

"Of course." Fen walks her to the door and bids her good night. He then rubs his face and looks around the apartment thinking about the conversation he had with Ana, including her talking about living in the apartment with him and smiles. He then relaxes for the rest of the evening, before he goes to sleep.


	19. More Assumptions and A Dose of Realism

**More Assumptions and A Dose of Realism**

"So he was in Crimson Lights talking about the plans he would be doing with his lady." Schuyler tells Madison as they sit on the couch together in their apartment.

Schuyler's shift had ended at work a little while ago, and Madison had an earlier shift in the day and had already been at home for a while. Madison was looking at her laptop while she was listening to Schuyler talk about her day.

"I thought you were trying to move past him." Madison remarks looking at a site on her computer.

"I am but I saw him today." Schuyler states. "And I heard him talking about doing something romantic with his lady and it made me sick and very angry."

Schuyler sighs. "It didn't help that I saw some other men in there that I have had some unpleasant experiences with. Granted, I didn't get involved with them like I did _him_, but I did have with them let's say… some _unfortunate_ encounters." Schuyler remarks to Madison in a cryptic tone. "And they were all talking about romantic dates they would be having soon and it was just too much…."

She shakes her head. "It almost ruined my day." She admits frowning.

Madison turns to look at her. "You can't let stuff like that get to you, Schuyler." She advises her. "You have to be stronger than that."

Schuyler nods. "I know. I know. But that type of stuff still bothers me…" She continues to tell Madison some more about her day. "But things got a lot better when I went to work…" She reveals happily.

"Because you put your focus on your work, which is what you should be doing." Madison guesses.

"Because I saw Fen Baldwin!" Schuyler tells her excitedly. "And we talked for quite a bit. And once again we enjoyed talking to each other." She sighs.

"He's so freaking hot. And he was by himself _again_." She shakes her head. "Almost every time I see him he's by himself." She remarks thinking. "That sexy man is being neglected by his fiancée." She muses.

Madison rolls her eyes. "Or maybe she is working while he's having some extra downtime because he just got off of a tour. Which I remember you telling me about."

"But he's almost always_ alone_." Schuyler claims. "I mean I've seen the fiancée like only once, and like you said she is the sister of our boss." Schuyler holds up her hand. "I don't care how busy someone gets at work, they should make time for their man.. and it looks like she's not doing that." She speculates.

"There you go making assumptions again…" Madison says.

"I'm pointing out facts." Schuyler remarks firmly. "I've only seen her have a meal with him at the club once." She makes a face. "You would think if someone's man is a famous pop star and he has some down time, now that a grueling tour has been over, the woman in his life would use that opportunity to spend time with him…"

Schuyler shakes her head and then continues. "Because a man like that has options…_lots_ of them, and if he's not getting what he needs from a woman… he can always go get it somewhere else." She states bluntly.

Madison shakes her head. "He's probably fine with the woman you know that... he _proposed marriage_ to."

"Maybe for now... but eventually he will get tired of being neglected, and when he does, there will be women out there that will happily take care of his needs." Schuyler predicts.

"I know I would." Schuyler smiles. "Oooh, I would _so_ take care of him, if you know what I'm saying..." She looks at Madison and laughs. "He would not have to worry about _that_ or be alone."

"I know what you are saying." Madison replies. "And you need to take care of yourself, instead of fantasizing about getting with men that aren't available." She advises.

"He's not married yet..." Schuyler reminds her.

"But he will be and that fantasy isn't happening in real life girl."

Schuyler sighs. "You are such a dream crusher."

"I'm a realist." Madison says truthfully. She then gives Schuyler a very serious look. "And I care about you. I do." She thinks for a moment and then continues. "And you tend to fixate on men very quickly. A man's nice to you and you take off running with hopes about being together." She pauses and continues. "And sometimes you try to make something work. Even when it's not the best situation for you... like..."

"Don't say his name." Schuyler warns her.

"Like with _him_." Madison states firmly. "Or in the case of Fen who seems like a nice guy but is not available..." She sighs. "I just want you to be realistic and want a better situation for yourself."

"I do want better for myself." Schuyler insists.

"Do you really?" Madison gives her a skeptical look. She then looks at her computer. "Awesome!" She exclaims.

"What is it?" Schuyler asks curiously.

"I just sold two pieces of artwork for a nice chunk of change." Madison tells her proudly. "I have sold five pieces this week."

"That's great, Madison." Schuyler tells her encouragingly.

"I keep this up I can go on that vacation I have been wanting to go on. And... possibly take you along." She smiles at Schuyler. "It would be good for you to get away for a little while."

"Yeah, maybe." Schuyler says and shrugs. The two women continue to talk and spend the evening together. Though in spite of the advice she received from Madison, fantasies of being with Fen still go through Schuyler's head.


	20. Flashbacks of Schuyler's Past Rel PI

**Flashbacks of Schuyler's Relationship Part I**

After her talk with Madison, Schuyler ends up getting ready for bed. As she settles in and gets ready to go to sleep she thinks about Madison's advice. She fantasizes about Fen a little more and then her thoughts wonder back to the conversations she had heard at Crimson Lights earlier in the day. She cringes again when she remembers the bits and pieces of conversation she had heard from _him_. She hated hearing him talk about planning a date with his new lady. That conversation had deeply upset Schuyler. He never took her on dates, when they were together. She then has flashbacks of the last time him and her were together, and their breakup.

_Flashback_

"Am I'm glad to see you…" Schuyler grabs him and starts kissing him. She had just gotten off of her shift from work and had met up with him in his home.

"Rough day at work?" He asks.

"Long shift…." Schuyler tells him. "Someone called out today and I covered for them, and the club was full tonight…"

"Sounds like you were busy…" He says smiling.

"Very… but I'm not too busy for you." Schuyler kisses him again, and she starts to unbutton his shirt.

"Never too busy… for _you_." She repeats. After she's finished unbuttoning his shirt, she starts kissing his chest.

"I like that..." He says. They kiss some more, and he starts to unbutton her blouse. He kisses her lips and then her neck and chest. They continue to kiss and undress each other until they are in their underclothes.

"I have a lot of stress to burn off and I'm going to burn it off with you." Schuyler pushes him onto the couch. They continue to kiss, finish taking off each other's clothes and sleep with each other. Afterwards they lay underneath a blanket together on his couch.

Schuyler runs her hand over his chest and nibbles on his ear for a moment. He smiles when she does that. He holds on tightly to her back and presses her close to him. He kisses her again. She then pulls away a little and looks at him. "You know what we should do..." She purrs.

"What?" He asks looking into her eyes and smiling. "What should we do?" He asks and kisses her neck. She pulls back from a him a little again and looks into his eyes.

"We should go on a date… somewhere." Schuyler suggests to him. "There's this jazz bar that I heard about. It's not even in GC, it's a town over, but I heard the music and food there are really good."

He sighs. "You know I really don't want to go out much right now. I'm still reeling from some stuff, and I just want to stay in."

Schuyler runs her hand over his chest and frowns.

"You never seem to want to do anything, except mainly _this_..." she indicates to them laying undressed on the couch together.

"We do other stuff…" He insists.

"We really don't. Sometimes when I come see you, you go and get takeout for us by _yourself,_ and sometimes you confide your problems to me in this house. But we really don't go out in public or do other things that couples do…"

He sighs again. "I thought you were cool with the way things are." He says. "We both agreed that we were fine with this... You said so yourself, that you got out of a relationship a little while ago and you didn't want anything serious." He reminds her.

Schuyler looks at him. "Well maybe I changed my mind. Maybe I want more in this relationship than you just taking me to bed." She gives him a serious look. "Maybe I want more than that. Maybe I want to be wined and dined and go places and do things together... And show people we are a real couple."

He makes a face. "Maybe I'm not ready to do that. Maybe I'm not ready to be in another serious relationship right now. I'm a bit burnt out when it comes to things including relationships…" He pauses and then continues. "You know I've been through quite a bit lately."

"But you sure can take me to bed, or the couch anytime you get the chance…" She states upset.

"Look, Schuyler I like you... but…"

She shakes her head. "I'm such an idiot, to keep doing this with you, knowing that I deserve better." She gets up off of him and sits on the couch, clutching the blanket to her body.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore." She claims upset.

He sits up now as well. "Schuyler..."

She sighs. "I don't know that I can." She repeat a bit weary. "I'm tired of you always dismissing the idea of going on a date with me… I'm tired of feeling like you don't _really_ want me…, except to scratch an itch for you…" She shakes her head again and gets up quickly off the couch taking and wrapping the entire blanket around herself and leaving him fully exposed.

"_Hey_…" He says, feeling air hit his body, without the blanket covering him.

"You know what I'm out..." She starts to pick up her clothes.

"I'm going to go get dressed and I'm going to leave. You call me when you want something more serious." She tells him in a strong tone.

On her way to the bathroom, she grabs his boxer briefs and throws them at his head.

"You should put those back on because you aren't getting any more action from me tonight." She snaps. She goes into his bathroom and dresses and leaves feeling deeply upset.

After she's gone, he puts his head in his hands and thinks about her comments. He knew she made valid points and he thought about their relationship. When he started out getting involved with her, he was reeling for some bad things that were going on in his life. She had caught his eye at the GCAC, she had waited on him, they talked and then when the evening was over, she had slipped him her number. He called it and one thing led to another. They had started out having fun, meeting up in his place, often ending up in bed together, finding comfort in each other's arms. They had fun together. But while he did like Schuyler he didn't feel like he was ready for a real relationship.

He thought she had felt the same. Especially since she told him that she had just gotten out of a relationship not so long ago and that she didn't want anything serious. She was the one that said at first that she didn't want things to be serious. And that she just wanted to have fun. And he was having fun and was numbing the pain that he was feeling over several failed relationships and of a loss he had experienced. He thought that him and Schuyler had an understanding, he was a bit surprised that she wanted a real relationship with him. He liked things the way they were for now, but he didn't want to hurt her. Her words rang through his mind and he knew he had some serious thinking to do and a decision to make about their relationship.


	21. Flashbacks of Schuyler's Past Rel PII

**Flashbacks of Schuyler's Relationship Part II**

Schuyler shakes her head as she remembers their last romantic encounter together and how it had ended. She sighs deeply when she thinks about that and how hurt she had been when he didn't want to take her on a date. She then grows angry when she thinks once again about how open and excited he was to go on a date with his new lady. She then has another flashback of them breaking up. This one was the day after their last romantic encounter:

_Second Flashback_

"I'm surprised you called so quickly." Schuyler say the next day as she enters his home.

"Yeah…" He says. He gives her a look and puts his hand behind his neck. "But I thought about what you said, and I wanted to talk about that."

Schuyler makes a face. "Okay." They head over to his couch and sit down.

"So… what have you thought about…?" She asks him.

He takes a breath and gives her a serious look. "Well, I thought about how you said you wanted something more in this relationship. How you wanted to go on dates and be more like a real couple…."

Schuyler nods, taking in what he was saying… "Yes…"

He puts his hands together. "And you know what? You're right, you deserve that…."

Schuyler nods again and she smiles. "Of course, I do."

He nods. "Yeah, you do. You deserve to have the type of relationship that you want. I do think you are a nice woman Schuyler, you're interesting, you're very pretty, you seem like you would be the type of person who knows how to have a good time…"

"I'm all of that…" Schuyler states excitedly.

"Yeah, you are, and I want you to have the type of relationship you really want. If you want to go on dates, you should go on dates…" His voice trails off for a moment before he continues.

"Yes, so where are we going on our date…?" She asks him.

He makes a face. "Schuyler like I said you deserve that type of relationship… but…"

Schuyler makes a face. "But what…?" She asks.

"But I'm not the guy, for you to do that with right now…" He reveals giving her an apologetic look.

Schuyler eyes widens and her frown deepens. "What?" She asks annoyed.

"It's not me, Schuyler." He says. "I can't give you that type of relationship right now…" He states in an apologetic manner.

"Why not?" She asks starting to get really upset.

"Because I'm not the type of man you deserve. I'm not that type of man right now…." He admits honestly. "I've been through a lot in the past couple of years, including multiples failed relationships and now I have…"

"You're not the type of man I deserve…." Schuyler says, interrupting him and rolling her eyes. "So, this is a it's not you, it's me speech…"

"It's a you deserve better and I want you to have that, but it has to be with someone else speech." He says in a matter of fact manner. "I'm just not in a place where I can be in a serious relationship right now…" He insists.

"This is unbelievable!" Schuyler exclaims angrily.

"I know you're upset right now, but you will thank me later, when you find someone who will give you the type of relationship you deserve…." He tells her. "And not some guy, who has made several mistakes in relationships and maybe needs to take a break altogether from them." He puts his hand on his face and closes his eyes for a moment.

"And maybe... just needs to be alone for a bit, while I figure out how to be a better man…" He sighs. "No woman deserves to be strung along if she wants more and your speech last night really helped drive that point home for me…"

"So, you have this epiphany, that leads you to break things off with me…" She asks continuing to get upset.

He rests his hand on her knee. "I realized that you deserve better than me, and that I need to_ fix_ me, if I ever want a serious relationship again. Which I'm not sure that I should even be in anytime soon."

"_Ugh_…." Schuyler groans and she removes his hand from her knee and moves further away from him on the couch.

"I know this is not what you wanted to hear but I do believe it is best for you. You deserve to be happy and be with a man who's going to give you what you want… And I need to think about the type of lifestyle I am living and need to evaluate this bringing home random women stuff…"

"So, I'm just a random woman?!" Schuyler exclaims. "I don't mean anything to you…?"

He sighs and shakes his head. "That's not what I mean, exactly. I mean in the past when the going got tough… I've resulted to doing behavior similar to this. I've brought home random women before, and…"

"So, I'm not the only one…." Schuyler jumps up off the couch disgusted with his admission. "This is just _unreal_..."

He gets up off the couch and looks at her.

"No, you have been the only one, this time around." He tells her looking her straight in her eyes. "But in the past, I have resorted to this type of behavior when things got rough and maybe it's time for me to stop it." He pauses thinking some more and continues.

"Like a couple of years ago... when I..."

Schuyler puts her hands up. "Spare me the details of you and other women…"

He shakes his head. "You know I'm not a monk… You know about some of my past relationships..."

"I knew of some of the more serious ones yes… like the marriages…" Schuyler confirms to him. "But I do not want to hear about you and a bunch of randoms getting it on…"

"Okay fair enough…" He continues understanding. "I will just say that over two years ago things got rough again and I resorted to some of this behavior and tried to the casual thing and one of the women I was with, told me that didn't seem like me…" He shakes his head remembering that conversation. "She said she believed that deep down, I wanted more than that…"

Schuyler gestures to him angrily. "Well apparently she was wrong, because over two years later, you're still doing the same behavior."

He makes a face. "Maybe I should have taken her advice to heart… and did some more soul searching. I mean at one point I tried to do something serious again, but things spiraled out of control, when I lost…"

"Oh, spare me _Nick_!". Schuyler exclaims angrily. "Spare me…. I'm tired of you blaming all of your problems on losing custody of a son that was never truly yours to begin with." She snaps.

A hurt look comes across Nick's face after she says that. "He was my son in every way that mattered." He states referring to Christian.

Schuyler shakes her head. "Well apparently that judge didn't see it that way. And that is why your brother Christian's actual father, got custody of him." She retorts. "And you lost him and just became a loser in general."

Nick looks like she had just slapped him across the face. "_Ouch_. Schuyler…"

"Nope it's true, you became a loser." Schuyler insists. "Holed up in your house doing much of nothing, whining about losing your son, who is really your nephew." She sighs and shakes her head a frustrated look on her face. "And I was a loser right along with you, because I laid right up here with you, while you did all of this and didn't really give me anything substantial in return."

She shakes her head. "No dates, no introducing me to your family or friends. You just used me to make yourself feel better…" She accuses him.

"Schuyler, I didn't use you, you're the one that said you were okay with this and even suggested it, because you just had gotten out of a serious relationship that didn't end well..." Nick reminds her. "Or at least that is what you told me…"

"But I end up wanting more Nick!" She yells.

"I know, and that is why I am ending things with you, so you can have that with someone else." He puts his hand on his face thinking. "And maybe my "loser" self can be single for a moment and get it together and figure out what is that I really want." He pauses a somber look coming across his face.

"Because I'm not really happy right now. With this situation and other situations in my life. And I need to do better." He nods his head thinking again. "I need to do better." He repeats.

"And I need to think more about my kids and focus more on them. Faith is getting older now and still needs me, Summer is going to have a baby and I'm going to be a grandfather." He pauses and continues. "They need me,... the best version of me and I need to be there for them."

"Of course, the _best_ verison of you..." Schuyler remarks to him sarcastically. "Too bad you couldn't give that to any woman you've been with including either one of their mothers. That's probably why you had failed marriages with the _both_ of them..." She comments coldly.

"You want to be an example to your daughters..." She continues. "What type of example are you setting by bringing home random women as you claim and have romps with them, including on the couch and the counter...?" She asks angrily. "What would you have done if one of your daughters had showed up when that was going on?" She asks.

"Look Schuyler, I know you're hurting right now..."

"You don't know anything Nick... you're just a clueless doofus, who I have been wasting my time with these past few months." She scowls. "I feel like such a fool wasting my time with you..._Ugh_!" She yells.

"You're angry now, but you'll realize this is for the best..." He predicts, a bit taken back by her anger. He really had thought they were on the same page regarding their relationship. She had told him she wasn't looking for anything serious and he was surprised she was taking him ending things as badly as she was. He had similar situations with women in the past and they took it much better than Schuyler was taking it.

Schuyler shakes her head. "For the best..." She closes her eyes and whispers that sentence. "Yeah it probably is..." She concludes in a bitter tone.

"I think you will realize that it really is." He states in a matter of fact manner. "You can move on and have the type of relationship you deserve..." He repeats again. "And I hope you get that." He says sincerely. He shrugs. "And in the meantime, I will work on being a better man, and being someone that my daughters and family can actually be proud of again."

"Right..." Schuyler laughs bitterly. "You'll just find another woman who will be dumb enough to waste her time with you like I did..." She predicts sourly.

She then holds up her hand, when Nick starts to speak again. "I just hope she's more your speed and actually okay with your behavior... or she gets out of the relationship sooner than I did. Hopefully she comes to her senses about you before I did..." She pauses and gives him a very angry stare.

"I hope she ends up realizing how_ lousy_ you are." She looks him up and down in disgust. "In more ways than one." She then turns to leave. Nick follows her into the hallway of his home as they walk to the front door.

"I wish things could have been different between us Schuyler. I wish I could have given you the type of relationship you wanted and deserved..." He says regretfully.

"Well, you failed at that... Just like you failed at other relationships, Just like you failed at keeping Christian and your company. And everything else you told me you failed at when we spent all those nights together." Nick makes a face as they reach the door. Schuyler turns around to face him once more.

"You know what I'm glad we are ending things. I've wasted enough time with you..."

"I wish we could be friends..." Nick says.

"That's not going to happen, and you stay away from me." She orders angrily. She grabs the knob on the door and then notices a vase on a table near the door. She reaches out and pushes it on the ground causing it to shatter.

"Schuyler, What the heck!" Nick exclaims upset that she did that. "That was expensive!"

"Take that as a warning, you messed with the wrong woman, and you need to stay away from me." Schuyler repeats. She gives him a warning look and then opens the door and leaves his home, slamming the door behind her.

Nick frowns deeply after she leaves and looks down at the shattered glass on the floor. He sighs deeply, reflecting on what had just happened and goes and gets a broom and dust pan to get it up. While he's doing that, he comes to an even stronger conclusion that breaking up with Schuyler really was the best thing to do.

_Flashback ends_

Schuyler closes her eyes remembering those moments and how upset she had felt. She thought she had gotten over him, but she was finding out that Nick Newman was a hard man to forget about. She sighs. She knew she had to try and get over him. But when she saw him again at Crimson Lights, planning on attending a wedding with his new lady, it stirred up a lot of unhappy feelings that she thought she had rid herself of. It turns out that she had just buried them and not buried them deep enough.

She sighs again. _I have to get over him._ She thinks to herself. She lays down on the side of her bed and frowns. She closes her eyes and tries to once again put Nick out of her mind. After she closes her eyes, she tries to think of something else more positive. Her mind once again thinks of Fen and she smiles. She goes to sleep hoping she will have dreams of him.


	22. Sound Advice

**Sound Advice**

"Hey, man I'm so glad you're here." Fen says happily getting up at his table at the GCAC and greeting Xavier. They shake hands and hug.

"Glad to be here." Xavier says, and they sit down.

"You're one of the first people to show up in my groom's party." Fen informs Xavier. "Scott won't be here for at least a little while longer, and my Uncle Kevin is still in Portland, but he'll be showing up in a few days." He informs Xavier.

"Well, I couldn't miss this wedding…" Xavier tells him. "Especially since I practically got you and Ana together." He brags. He then laughs.

"Yeah, you did." Fen says smiling at him. "Summer likes to claim that honor for some reason, but you deserve a lot of credit for helping me win Ana's heart." He tells Xavier gratefully. "And I will _always_ be grateful for that man."

"Hey, when two people belong together, they belong together. And I just aided in making that happen." Xavier says in a good-natured manner. The two men talk for a bit more and catch up with each other.

Schuyler is working a morning shift that day and sees them together. She gets excited when she sees Fen again.

"Good morning, Fen…" She says greeting him, smiling brightly.

"Good morning, Schuyler…" He says smiling at her.

"Good morning." She says greeting Xavier.

"Good morning." Xavier greets her smiling.

She smiles even brighter. "I get to take care of two handsome pop stars today, it's my lucky day…" She laughs. She talks with them a bit, and spends some time chatting it up with Fen.

"I'm glad you actually have company today, instead of being by yourself again…" She says in a teasing tone.

Fen makes a face. "My fiancée has been really busy at work." He tells her. "But I'm fine, and now I got one of my best friends to help keep me company." He says looking at Xavier.

"That's good to know, a handsome pop star like yourself, keeps sitting alone, it might send out a sign that you're available…." Schuyler says giving him a wink. "But I'm glad to know that things are still going well, with you and her."

Fen nods and smiles at Schuyler, while Xavier raises his eyebrow at Schuyler's words and her flirty behavior with Fen. Fen on the other hands seems unfazed by her comments. Madison chats him up some more and talks a little to Xavier and then she takes both men's orders. After she's gone Xavier gives Fen a look.

"Another enamored fan of yours." He remarks amused.

Fen makes a face and smiles. "Who? Schuyler?" He asks laughing. "We talk all the time when I come in here. She's very nice and is a good waitress. I like talking to her." He admits to Xavier. He smiles again. "And she is actually the one who told me who to get with to get my surprise for Ana. It was an excellent recommendation."

Xavier nods. "Un-huh. That's cool." He remarks. "She just seemed… like…"

"Like what, Xavier…?" Fen asks curiously.

"Like uh… well I'll just be blunt with you, Fen…like she wanted to have you served up on a platter for herself." Xavier laughs. "And she kept mentioning how much she liked serving you and wanted to serve you some more, bruh..." He gives Fen a look. "She sounded like she wanted both of you to_ serve_ each other." Xavier gives Fen a knowing look. "She was looking at you like she wanted her some you…" He observes, a bit amused.

"_What?_" Fen asks a bit surprised. He laughs. "_Man_…"

"I know with the success you've had with your albums and your tours; you're probably used to that by now…" Xavier remarks. "I mean you've had your share of encounters with overzealous fans I'm sure…"

Fen nods. "I have but… Schuyler… she's just being friendly." He insists. "She's a nice lady."

"Yeah, and she's very pretty too." Xavier remarks astutely.

Fen nods. "She is." He admits honestly. "But you know I love Ana, and that's who I'm committed to and who I want to spend the rest of my life with…." He states firmly. "I'm very certain of that." He affirms.

Xavier nods. "I know." He acknowledges. "And I believe that very strong love that you have for Ana maybe blinds you at times to stuff… like that waitress flirting with you something fierce…"

"I thought she was just being…" Fen's voice trails off as he thinks about Xavier's comments.

"Nah man." Xavier says and they look at each other and laugh. "But that's what happens especially when you become a successful pop star…Women want you and want to throw themselves at you…" Xavier remarks truthfully. "I've had it happen with me; you've experienced it. It happens..."

"Well I'm committed to Ana, so…"

"I know, but still be aware of stuff, and _always_ be careful…". He pauses thinking for a moment and then continues. "There is always going to be other women waiting to pounce especially since you're a pop star…"

Fen nods. "I know and I don't take the bait…I've been in the industry for over two years now, so I know..." Fen reminds him.

"Which is good and important especially since you're about to become a married man." Xavier cautions him.

"I've been in this industry for a while now, and I've hung around single pop stars, engaged pop stars, married ones, and some women don't care what your status is." Xavier reveals to him candidly.

"I know you've heard this before, but I'm going to tell you again Fen..." He warns him. "Things will not change much on this front once you marry Ana. There are women who won't care if you're married or not, they still will try and jump at a chance to get with you..." He gives Fen a serious look. "And many of them think they can make you happier than your lady. No matter how much you profess to love her."

Fen shakes his head. "Well, it's not going to work. You know how I feel about Ana." He insists strongly.

"It's true Schuyler is a nice and very pretty woman but no matter how nice or pretty a woman is…I still love and only want Ana." He declares firmly. Schuyler is walking past when Fen says this and manages to hear the part about Fen calling her pretty. She wants to stop and listen to the rest of the conversation but knows she has to continue to work. However, she perks up even more after hearing this and smiles brightly as she heads back to the kitchen.

Xavier nods and then smiles. "I do. I just want you to stay aware and always be careful. Especially after you get married."

"I will…" Fen assures him. "I want to have a happy marriage with Ana." He laughs. "And she's the only woman I want to serve myself up on a platter for."

The two men laugh.

"I've haven't seen her much lately." Fen confesses to Xavier. "A few nights ago, she came over for a bit and we spent some time together, but then she left and said she had more work to do at Hamilton-Winters." A thoughtful look comes across his face. "Things have been very busy over at Hamilton-Winters, Devon is away you know... he's been trying to help his wife and her family with some stuff."

"Right, yeah is he okay?" Xavier asks.

"He's trying to handle things with his family, but Ana, Sophia and Lily have been holding the fort down at Hamilton-Winters."

"Well, if there were any three ladies that were capable of holding things down at a major business, it would be those three." Xavier says with a smile.

Fen nods. "Right and Ana is right there in the thick of things, holding things down." Fen tells him proudly. "But with her doing that and her getting things ready for the wedding on her end, I haven't seen her much. I actually haven't seen her at all the past few days... And I think I won't see her much until the wedding." He admits.

"Well absence makes the heart grow fonder." Xavier jokes.

"Yeah... it does..." Fen says smiling. "I can't wait until our wedding. I am actually stoked for it." He tells Xavier excitedly. "We can celebrate our love in front of everyone and then it's honeymoon time..." Fen grins. "Finally we can be alone and not have the stress of work nagging at us.. And we can relax on the beach... have some fun and ..." Fen gives Xavier a sly look.

"And you can serve yourself up on a platter for her like you have been wanting to do..." Xavier jokes. The two men laugh. "Maybe that is the gift I should have gotten you two as a present... a silver platter..." Xavier jokes again. "Though I don't know if they make them big enough to fit you." The two men laugh again.

"I'm glad you are looking forward to your wedding Fen." Xavier tells him sincerely. "I think it's going to be a fun event and I'm ready to celebrate with you guys."

"And you're bringing Jada right?" Fen asks smiling at him. Jada was Xavier's girlfriend.

"Oh, yeah she's definitely my plus one... She is happy to celebrate with you guys."

"Cool." Fen says and the two men smile at each other.

The two men talk some more about the wedding and some of the businesses they are investing in together. They end up spending much of the morning catching up with each other and enjoying their breakfast together.


	23. Looking For the Best Fit

**Looking For the Best Fit**

"I believe that I am well qualified for this job, and I would be happy to contribute to a company like this one." Misty says during her interview at Hamilton Winters with Sophia. Sophia was looking to hire various positions including an assistant who would work directly with Sophia at Power Communications as well as hire someone to fill an administrative assistant position for Hamilton-Winters in general. She talks with Misty some more asking her questions and going over some of her qualifications. Once they are done with the interview the two women stand up and Sophia shakes her hand.

"Thank you very much for your time, Ms. Stenson. I will be in touch with you." She informs Misty.

"Thank you." Misty tells her smiling. "I appreciate you meeting with me today." The two women talk some more and then Misty leaves Sophia's office. Misty walks away and exits the Hamilton-Winters building. Outside she makes a phone call.

"My interview went well." She tells someone on the other line. "I think I may get this job. And if not, I have some other interviews lined up..." She reports to them. "Whatever happens, I believe I will find the best fit for me." She listens on the other end of the line to a person who is talking to her.

"Un-huh, well if I get a job here, I can really establish some roots in this town…"

"Right..." She says as she's listens to the other person on the line. "That's exactly right, a job will allow me to get my own place or at least stay at the club longer… Which will allow me to get closer to my son and his new family." Misty laughs.

"Yes, it looks like everything is falling into place…." She listens a bit more to the person on the other end of the line.

"I can't wait to make a splash in this town..." She tells them excitedly. She laughs. She then talks with them a little more and walks away feeling confident that things were going according to her plan.

Inside Hamilton-Winters Ana walks around the corner and sees Sophia standing up in her office. Ana knocks on the open door.

"Hey, Ana, how can I help you?" Sophia asks her smiling.

"I just wanted to let you know I finished up some things and am heading out.. Unless you need me to stay and help you with anything else?" Ana offers.

Sophia waves her hand. "I'm fine girl, I just finished up my last interview for the day, for some of those positions we were looking to fill." Sophia informs her.

"And how did it go?" Ana asks curiously.

"It went well. I was impressed with her." Sophia admits to Ana. "Of course I have to interview some more people, before I make my final decisions, but I am feeling good about the applicants so far and think we will get some good people in here."

"I'm glad to hear that.." Ana says to her. "It would be nice to get some extra help around here."

"Yes it would." Sophia nods her head in agreement. "I know we've all been holding it down here since Devon left..."

"But things have been really busy and the extra help would be appreciated." Ana finishes.

"Definitely." Sophia states smiling.

The two ladies talk for a bit more and then Ana bids Sophia goodbye.

"Go spend time with your man you said you haven't seen in days..." Sophia teases her.

Ana smiles. "I'm actually not going to see him." She admits with a bit of regret in her voice. "I'm going to a bridal shop and I'm going to try on wedding dresses with Summer." She tells Sophia.

"Oooh, that sounds nice..." Sophia comments.

"Yeah, we are going to look there and see what we can find, and then in a few days I'm going to square you guys away and find your bridesmaids dresses." Ana tells her. "And don't be afraid to input your thoughts about the dresses. I want you guys to look and feel fabulous. I'm honored you will be apart of my special day." She tells Sophia graciously.

"Well, I look forward to giving you my input then..." Sophia jokes. The two women laugh.

"I really do want you guys to have fun and enjoy yourselves...And that starts with finding you dresses that you will like..." Ana states warmly.

"I have to tell you girl, I am excited for this wedding..." Sophia admits to her honestly.

"Me too." Ana states happily. "I look forward to marrying Fen and being surrounded by all our family and friends... I'm so glad so many of your RSVPed." She then looks at Sophia and smiles. "Have you decided who you would like to bring as your plus one yet...?" She asks curiously.

Sophia shakes her head. "It will probably just be me and Moses." She confirms.

"You can invite anyone you want." Ana tells her encouragingly. "Moses is already invited, he doesn't have to be your plus one..."

Sophia shakes her head. "Eh... Girl, I'm good, I am just looking forward to witness you having happiness and spending time with my family."

Ana nods and they talk a little more and then Ana leaves to meet up with Summer at the bridal shop.

At the shop Ana and Summer introduce themselves to the owner and talk a bit about Ana's wedding plans. They then look at dresses and Ana's starts to try them on.

"I can't say I'm really feeling this dress..." Ana says looking at the mermaid wedding dress that she tries on first.

"It's pretty..." Summer remarks looking at her in the dress. "Are you trying to be Fen's little mermaid?" She asks jokingly.

Ana laughs and looks at herself in the mirror. "Well, he does love water and the beach...But this is not exactly what I am looking for." She then tries on another one.

"That's very sleek looking." Summer remarks looking at the sleek looking strapless lace wedding dress, Ana tried on next.

Ana touches the dresss. "It is." She then narrows her eyes looking at the dress. "But it may be _too _sleek, I think I want something more.. poofy…" She makes a gesture with her hands.

"Like a ball gown wedding dress?" Summer suggests helpefully.

Ana nods. "Yeah, maybe..." She then tries on a ball gown wedding dress.

"This is nice.." She says looking it over and then at Summer.

"But not quite what you want either..." Summer states knowingly looking at her expression. "Is it _too_ poofy?" She asks. Ana shrugs her shoulders and laughs.

"Thank you for being patient with me." She tells Summer gratefully.

"Hey that is my job as your matron of honor." Summer tells her warmly. "We will keep trying on dresses until we find the one you want. And if you don't find it here we can go somewhere else." She pauses looking at the dresses surrounding them, and thinks for a moment.

"Or you could narrow down your choices, think about them and then we'll return here. Whatever you want to do. We will find the best one that fits your tastes." Ana tries on some more dresses and then decides to take a break. They sit on a bench in the dressing room. Ana looks down at some of the shoes she had been trying on as well.

"I knew tonight we would be busy for a while and I probably won't get to see Fen again tonight..." She says sighing. She looks at Summer. "I've been so busy trying to help out at work and now trying to get things ready for the wedding on my end... I haven't seen him in days." She confesses to her.

"And I promised him days ago, that I would make time for him and I haven't been doing that." She says regretfully. "But I will try and make it up to him..."

Summer gives her a look. "Well I'm sure he understands. He knows that Devon is out of town trying to help his wife's family right?" Summer asks looking for clarification.

"Yes, he knows." Ana confirms to her.

"Then he gets it. He understands girl..." Summer assures her.

"It's just I haven't spent much time with him since he's been off of his last tour and we were supposed to be spending more time together..." Ana's voice trails off. " Especially since we already didn't see much of each other when he was on his last tour..." She sighs. "And now with the stuff going on at work and me trying to plan this wedding... I kind of feel like I'm neglecting him." She admits to Summer making a face.

Summer waves her hand dismissively. "Girl, you're not even married yet and you are already talking about neglecting him. Wait until you get married first before you do that." She jokes.

Ana smiles and then gives her a look. "I'm serious, Summer..."

"You will have a lot of time after you get married and have your honeymoon to spend time with him." Summer reminds her.

"And we are going to find you the best dress that will take his breath away when he sees you..." Summer smiles at her. "And he'll realize that it was worth every bit of effort you've been putting into planning this wedding." Summer assures Ana.

She then raises her eyebrows and gives Ana a sly look. "And you wear that sexy lingerie that Abby bought for you to wear and you can spend all of your honeymoon showing him how much you _care._" She gives Ana a knowing look. "Seriously if you wrapped yourself in Saran Wrap, that would be less see through than the bridal lingerie she gave you..." Summer laughs.

"He sees you in that and he's going to forget about some extra nights you spent in the office trying to help run your family's company. Which will also be his family... I mean, Ana..." Summer puts her hand on her shoulder. "You will have all of your honeymoon and quite frankly the rest of your life to have more quality time with Fen..." She crosses her arms. "And I know Fen. I know how much he loves you and I know he understands." She assures Ana.

"You're right..." Ana says nodding, feeling a bit better.

"Give him more credit." Summer advises her. "He's a good man. He gets it..."

Ana smiles. "Thanks Summer." A thought then hits her. "Hey, how did you appointment go yesterday?" She asks curiously. "Weren't you and Lincoln supposed to find out the sex of you baby yesterday?" She asks looking at her friend. "Did you guys found out or did you opt to have it be a surprise?"

Summer looks down and touches her belly. "We found out." She confirms to Ana smiling.

"And would you like to share or keep it to yourself for now...?" Ana asks.

"I'll share." Summer tells her smiling. "I've already told like all my family and it's time to tell you next..." Summer looks at her and smiles brightly. "We're having a boy!" She exclaims happily.

"Oh, Summer a little boy!" Ana reaches over and hugs Summer. "I'm so happy for you guys." She expresses to her happily. "I know Lincoln is thrilled."

"He is, he's told his whole family as well and everyone he works with, as well as the server at Crimson Lights, this morning..." The two ladies laugh.

"And you're happy..." Ana says looking at her smiling. "You are _glowing_..."

Summer nods. "Yes, I am very happy. I would have been happy with a boy or a girl. I just want a healthy child." She declares contently.

"I hear that." Ana says. "So have you thought about names for him yet?" She asks.

Summer shakes her head. "A little bit, but we are going to talk more about that. We are trying to find a name that we think would best fit him." Summer mentions some name suggestions her and Lincoln have started talking about. The two ladies talk some more about Summer's son. Then Summer tells Ana something else.

"My husband also told his birth mother, Misty about it..." She reveals to Ana.

"Well... that's good right..." Ana remarks.

"Yes, I think so. Him and her have made some progress with each other. He's been more relaxed regarding her. We are even inviting her over to dinner in a few days so we can all talk some more. It's a family dinner..."

"Well, I hope it goes well..." Ana tells her sincerely.

"I hope so, too." Summer says a little nervously. "I really do want things to work out for my husband and his birth mom. I want my son to know all of his family members."

Ana nods understanding. The two ladies talk a bit more about what's going on in Summer's life and then spend more of the evening trying to find the best wedding dress for Ana.


	24. Shared Ideas

**Shared Ideas**

"Knock, Knock." Valentina knocks on the door of the room in Jabot that Monty was sitting in. He had arrived to work early and was working on his and Mattie's ideas regarding promoting the summer collections. He smiles when he sees Valentina.

"Hi, Valentina, how are you?" He asks.

"Hi, Monty. I see you are here early putting in work." She gives him a big smile. "As usual."

He laughs. "Yeah, I was just itching to get some more work done regarding these collections."

Valentina comes in and sits on the couch beside him. She glances at his notes and some of the stuff he is working on regarding the collections.

"So…." She says leaning towards him. "Have you had success reaching out to your celebrity friends to help market clothes from the summer collections?"

Monty nods and smiles. "I have. And I talked with Billy about this. We are going to send some of them some items from the collections like some swimwear. They are going to wear them and upload pics to their social media accounts promoting the products." He informs Valentina. "They've agreed to do it on an upcoming date where we really are going to push promoting these collections on Social Media."

"Ah, I wish had celebrity friends, who I could count on to help me with work." Valentina teases him.

"Well a lot of them are friends of my brothers, but I've gotten to know them over the years." Monty informs her.

"Lucky, you." Valentina says smiling. "Must of have been fun growing up around famous brothers and all the perks that come with that." She muses.

"It was fun a lot of the times and interesting and even a bit scary at times." He reveals.

Valentina raises her eyebrows. "_Scary_?" She asks curiously.

"Yeah, football is fun, but there was always that risk of one of my brothers getting hurt. As is the case in a high contact sport. And then a few years ago, when Lincoln suffered that serious injury, that ultimately ended his career…" Monty pauses for a moment, a thoughtful look coming across his face. "That was a scary time for him and for us… but thankfully everything ended up okay." He says looking at her. "Linc's career was over, but he was able to get into another career that allowed him to meet his wife. And now he's got a baby on the way… things worked out fine."

"That's good to hear." Valentina tell him sincerely. "Is that why you didn't go into sports like your brothers, the risk of getting injured…" She asks.

Monty shrugs his shoulders. "I just wasn't into really playing them like they were. When I was young, I played around with them a bit. And participated a little in playing basketball, and football." He pauses and continues. "But it was mostly just playing around with my brothers and some friends. In our back yard, in the park. It's not something that I wanted to pursue as a career or anything." He admits to her truthfully.

"Yet, you're still in very good shape." Valentina remarks coyly and reaches out and squeezes his bicep.

"I try to do enough to stay in shape. I love to exercise, I hit the gym, run and love to bike." Monty remarks. "I may not be the athlete that my brothers are, but that doesn't mean I can't stay in shape…" He states with a grin.

"I hear that. You said you like to bike; you know I like to bike as well. And I like to hit the gym… You know maybe sometimes we can..." Valentina's voice trails off as she is interrupted by Mattie coming into the room. Both her and Monty look up at Mattie.

"I'm here." Mattie announces. She looks at both Monty and Valentina sitting together looking kind of cozy. She makes a face and goes and puts her stuff down on the table and looks at Monty.

"Are you ready to get down to work?" She asks looking at him.

"I've been working, that's why I'm here early." He tells her in a matter of fact manner.

"Oh, yeah, because it seemed like you were talking about personal stuff…" Mattie replies a bit curtly. She had witnessed some of his and Valentina's conversation and once again didn't like how flirty Valentina was being with him. She had frowned when she had saw Valentina squeezing his bicep.

Monty makes a face. "I was definitely working." He insists. "The conversation may have turned to some other stuff, but I have definitely been putting in work Mattie." He states firmly.

Valentina nods her head, supporting him. "Monty was just telling me how some of his celebrity friends are going to be rocking and promoting Jabot Collective gear on an upcoming date." She interjects. She looks at Monty and they smile at each other.

"Well, that's good…." Mattie says. "And now that I'm here him and I can talk some more about that and some other ideas…" She gives Valentina a pointed look. "You know since it's our project together and he is _my _partner." She affirms strongly.

Valentina makes a face at Mattie's tone. "Un-huh. Yeah, okay." She then smiles. "You're right he is your partner for _this _project…" She then gives Mattie her own pointed look. "Maybe in the future things will be mixed up a bit and him and I will also get the opportunity to work together." She looks at Monty and flashes him a smile. "That would be fun…"

"It would be." He says returning her smile. He then looks at Mattie. "We're probably all get the opportunity to work with each other at various times here and there. And we'll get opportunities together as a group with all of us and Boyd too." A thoughtful look then crosses his face. "The most important thing is that we're all a team here and it's good to help one another out." He reminds them.

"Exactly." Valentina says. "We're all a team really. And it's fun to share ideas." She reaches over and touches Monty's arm. "Monty and I have been doing some brainstorming about our collections and we've been helping each other out." She gives him a look. "Did you tell Mattie about our idea for the Summer collection?"

Mattie looks at them curiously. "What idea?" She asks curiously.

"We thought it would be a good idea for Jabot to have a photoshoot showcasing some of the summer fashions for our summer collections." Monty informed her. "Especially our swimwear."

"And Billy totally liked the idea. He said he was thinking of doing something along those lines already." Valentina adds.

"Valentina and I talked about it with him, and it's something we will be helping plan to happen with the next couple of weeks." Monty says smiling. He continues.

"It's something we can all contribute on. I would love to hear your ideas about where we can hold it. We could possibly hold it here or maybe on location somewhere." Monty suggests.

"Hmm…." Mattie says thinking about how Monty and Valentina had come up with this idea, without her involvement. "I can come up with some ideas for that."

Monty nods. "Good. I think that is another good way we can promote our summer collections." He smiles at her.

Mattie nods. "Yeah…" She looks at him and Valentina again, thinking. "I can think of some suggestions we can go over today. I'm ready to get started…"

"Cool…" Monty says. He looks at her and then at Valentina.

"Well, I guess I will go and find Boyd and discuss our own ideas for the fall collections." Valentina says reluctantly. She stands up and smiles at Monty again. "It was nice talking to you and brainstorming about ideas." She tells him. "I look forward to talking to you more and I think you can probably help me, and Boyd come up with some ideas for the fall collections. Like you said we're all a team right." She winks at him. "See you later." She turns to walk away but looks at Mattie. "See you later, Mattie." She says and exits the room.

"Bye." Mattie says. She then goes over and sits beside Monty on the office couch. He looks at her and smiles. "So, like I was telling Valentina I got some of my celebrity friends to agree to help market some of Jabot's clothes… like you and I were discussing the other day. I've got five people to agree to do that and they are some popular names. Hopefully, together they can help get things trending for us…" He predicts optimistically. "And I of course will be retweeting their stuff to all of my followers as well…"

Mattie nods. "That's good. And I do believe they will help us." She thinks. "I can also get Fen Baldwin, who is engaged to one of my family members to help us retweet stuff…" She offers. "I talked with him the other day about this and he said he could help. Him and my family member are going to be going on a honeymoon soon. They will be on a beach, so he might post some stuff from there." She pauses thinking for a moment. "Granted, maybe him and Ana might want to keep some of the photos for themselves. But I do believe I can get him to post pictures of himself in some of our swimwear, even if it's after his honeymoon."

Monty smiles. "_Awesome_. A pop star retweeting pics of them wearing clothes from Jabot Collective will definitely help us boost the visibility of these collections." He remarks.

"And I talked with another music star, Xavier Dorsey's who's in town for Fen and Ana's wedding." Mattie adds. "He also said he is willing to wear some of the clothes from our summer collections and post those pics on his Social Media."

Monty smiles again. "Good stuff." He laughs. "And you were acting like you didn't have any type of connections. You have the hook up, Mattie." He states teasingly and gives her an impressed look. "Coming through with the support from the pop stars. I love it. And Billy will too." He says knowingly.

Mattie smiles at his comments. "Well, I may not have multiple famous siblings...but I do know a couple of people."

"You uncle is incredibly well known in the music industry…" Monty reminds her.

"I know, but he's not on tv all the time like your brothers were. Or have movies coming out all the time like your brother Darryl…." Mattie states in a matter of fact manner.

"Yeah, but he still is well known and so is Fen and Xavier. And good on you for getting them to help. That is great." Monty praises her. He writes something down for a moment and then looks back at Mattie. "And I know you mentioned Fen was going on a honeymoon, but we should be able to get him and Xavier promoting some clothes before the new collections are officially out for sale." He makes a gesture with his hand. "The more buzz we can drum up for the collections before they are out the better."

Mattie nods. "Right." She agrees. She thinks for a moment and then continues. "And you said that you and Valentina came up with the idea for the photoshoot?"

Monty nods and writes something else down. "That's right. We think it would be a good idea to showcase some of the clothes like the swimwear." He comments. "And of course Jabot has done photoshoots before. So this is a way to promote the news clothes that is a tried and true method."

Mattie nods. "Yeah, Fen and Kyle actually helped participate in one a couple of years ago and it was very successful." She tells him.

Monty nods. "And I think if we did another one showcasing clothes like the swimwear, it could be successful again. You think that Fen would be up to doing another photoshoot?" He jokes.

Mattie smiles and shakes her head. "I don't know. He's moved on since then…" She says a bit unsure.

Monty laughs. "I'm just kidding." He admits. " I know he probably would rather do something other than that like enjoy his soon to be married life. And…. Billy already mentioned he is going to hire professional models for the shoot." He smiles again. "I'm just glad you were able to get him and Xavier to agree to promote some of the clothes."

"Yeah, I was going to mention it to you at first, before I did it." Mattie tells him. "But I just decided to go ahead and ask them both while they were in town. Fen's been busy helping plan his wedding and then he's off to his honeymoon. And Xavier is in town only for the wedding and then he'll gone for a bit more. I saw them the other day together and decided to seize the opportunity."

Monty listens and nods. "Understandable. There is nothing wrong with you taking an opportunity while it presented itself. I think that's okay for both of us to do, when things like that happen. We can always touch base with each other later and hash out official stuff with Billy." A thoughtful look comes across his face. "Just as long as we don't make any official big decision without clearing it with Billy first."

"Right." Mattie agrees, thinking. "If we get an idea, when we're not around the other one we can always touch base with each other later..." She pauses thinking a bit more. "Like you touched base with me today with the idea that you and Valentina had regarding the photoshoot."

"Right."

"When did you guys come up with this idea about the photoshoot?" Mattie asks him curiously. "This is the first time you've mentioned it to me..."

Monty shrugs. "We've talked about it over the phone. We have bounced ideas off of each other when we talk sometimes after work." He reveals to her. "And I often come in early and Valentina's here and we talk about different ideas for the collections." He smiles. "She's a fun person to bounce ideas off of, she's very smart." He looks at Mattie. "Why do you ask?" He wonders.

Mattie shrugs and makes a face. "Uh... just wondering." She says. "You're right Valentina is very smart and um... persistent..."

"Which is why we should be happy to collaborate with her." Monty says gratefully. "Like I said we're all in this together." He gives Mattie a look. "There's nothing wrong with any of us offering ideas to the other one. It's alright..." He looks down at his notes again, thinking.

"I think all of us trying to have a positive attitude about things is the best way to go, because at the end of the day... we all work for the same company. And we shouldn't be competing with each other." He looks up into Mattie's eyes, a serious look on his face. "No need for us to be overly competitive with each other, and we should try and treat each other well..." He cautions.

Mattie makes a face at his last comment. "Okay...Well of course we should do that." She agrees.

A thoughtful look comes across Monty's face as he thinks some more. "Un-huh..I just think... that us getting along with each other is something that is very important especially if we all want to be successful here."

Mattie nods, wondering what he really wanted to say. "That's right..."

Monty nods and thinks a little more about saying something else, but decides to opt against it for the moment. He hoped that what he said was enough and that she had gotten the hint.

"Cool." He said. "Well, let's talk some more about this photoshoot." He says changing the subject. "Do you think it should be here, or maybe someone else?" He asks.

Mattie thinks for a moment. "The rootop bar of the athletic club that my Uncle owns is a place that a lot of people like to hang out. Especially during the summer." Mattie confirms to him. "And I know that GC Buzz has shot segments up there before, including during the Summer."

Monty listens to her and nods. "I did some research on different projects that Jabot has done in the past. And I think that their Birthday Suit campaign was shot up there." He remarks trying to remember. "Or at least one of their campaigns was."

Mattie nods. "Yes it was. I remember that. Kyle actually led that campaign. And there were also models going around the athletic club promoting the sunscreen Birthday Suit." Mattie says remembering the campaign for that Jabot product. "Of course I wasn't working here then, but I do know some facts about it." She informs Monty.

"Okay, so maybe we can talk with Billy about possibly having the photoshoot at the rooftop bar of the athletic club. And of course talk with your Uncle about it as well." Monty suggests.

"That sounds good." Mattie then smirks when she remembers what happened during the Birthday Suit launch. She laughs as she remembers how Kyle had ended up naked on GC Buzz.

"What's so funny?" Monty asks looking at her curiously.

She shakes her head. "It's just the Birthday Suit campaign, made quite a splash..."

"That sounds good." Monty remarks and then he notices her expression. "Right?" He asks.

Mattie shakes her head again remembering that campaign. "Uh...I don't think we want to quite make that_ type_ of splash..." She warns. "But I do think that the rooftop bar at the GCAC is a good place to have the photoshoot." She states.

"Sounds like a good place." Monty agrees. The two young people then talk a bit more and make plans regarding the photoshoot and other ideas to promote the Summer Collections from Jabot Collective.


	25. Two More Doses of Realism Part I

**A Couple of More Doses of Realism Part I**

"I can't wait to see him again." Schuyler gushes inside the kitchen area of the GCAC.

"You're still hung up on this?" Madison asks stacking some plates.

"Yes. He said I was _very_ pretty, Madison." Schuyler emphasizes. She grins. "It was truly wonderful." She starts to stack some plates as well.

"And he said to it another handsome pop star." Schuyler brags. "He's telling other people about me."

Madison gives her a look. "Well, maybe the other guy was asking about you…" She speculates. "Maybe you should find out if he's single and turn your attention to him instead of an engaged man." Madison suggests.

Schuyler makes a face thinking. "I mean Xavier is handsome, but Fen_ is_…" She sighs. "Fen is something _special_." She gushes.

"Fen is _engaged_." Madison reminds her. "And he loves his fiancée."

"But he was talking about_ me_ to his friend…" Schuyler insists. She smiles again. "Granted, I didn't catch all of the conversation." She looks down at the plates and then back up at Madison. "I was walking by when they were talking... But I did catch him say I was very pretty…" She sighs again happily.

"I tell you Madison my heart skipped a beat when I heard that. And if I weren't working, I would have found a way to eavesdrop more on their conversation." She confesses to Madison. She then looks around the kitchen area. "But I have a job and eavesdropping doesn't pay the bills."

"And neither does fawning over an engaged man, you can't have." Madison informs her. She gives her friend a serious look. "Its nice he said you were very pretty." She tells Schuyler. "And you are. I know at times you have some doubts about yourself, but a lot of men think that."

"Aw… Madison." Schuyler smiles at her friend appreciately. "Thanks girl."

"Which is why you should go find a single guy and not fixate on a happily engaged, soon to be happily married man…" Schuyler advises her. "There are a lot of men out there who would love to date you and treat you well…"

Schuyler shakes her head. "I've tried to date other men, including single ones. And those relationships didn't end well." She remarks frowning.

"Sometimes it takes a while before you find the right guy. Like the saying goes you have to kiss a few frogs, before you find your prince." Madison comments. "If you keep trying, you will find the right guy for you." She encourages her. "But you need to take your time and make sure you respect yourself." She advises her. "No more relationships like the one with…"

"Nick Newman…" Schuyler interjects.

"So, you're finally saying his name out loud again." Madison muses. "That's growth." She jokes.

Schuyler laughs. "Maybe. You know I am going to try my best not to let him and men like him get to me... I admit I was really upset the other day, when I saw him planning on spending time with his new lady..." She confesses. She then holds up her hand. "Who I found out by the way is Devon Hamilton's other sister, Lily Ashby." She reveals to Madison. "What is it, with Devon's sisters managing to land these prime rib men?" Schuyler ask making a face.

Madison lets out a laugh. "_Prime rib men?"_ She asks.

Schuyler nods. "Yes, these top-quality men… His sisters have landed two of them."

Madison makes a face. "Well, Fen does seem great." She remarks honestly. "But Nick well, you know for himself he has issues... and _you_ landed him." She reminds Schuyler.

Schuyler shakes her head. "But he never took me on a date." She frowns. "Yet he was so excited to take Lily on a date when I overheard some of their conversation at Crimson Lights…. He was so happy to get down with Lily at the wedding." Schuyler says the last sentence bitterly. She sighs heavily. "I mean all those nights him and I spent together, and he never took me anywhere on a date…" She complains.

"Which means he wasn't the right man for you and maybe not exactly a prime rib man." Madison remarks firmly.

"Hmmm, maybe. But I'm still ticked he's moved on and is dating another woman. It angers me." Schuyler admits.

"I know but you have to work on letting that go..." Madison cautions her. "For your own good."

"I'm trying." Schuyler states. "But when I see him acting all happy with Lily." She rolls her eyes. "It just really irritates me." She gripes. "But Devon's sisters must have some sort of magical powers, Ana lands sexy Fen and then Lily gets Nick. And they've gotten both of these men on lockdown…"

"_Lockdown_…" Madison says raising her eyebrows. "You uh… have a way with words my friend." She remarks a bit amused.

"Yes, lockdown. That's the way our boss's sisters have these men. Fen is marrying one and Nick is acting like he's smitten with the other one, Lily." Schuyler states.

"I mean you should have seen him getting all excited about how he would get down with her at their date, which…" Schuyler pauses for a moment and a thought hits her. "Would be at Fen's wedding. He was talking about taking Lily to Fen and his fiancée's wedding…."

"And…." Madison says giving her a curious look.

"And uh... that's _interesting_." Schuyler says. "That's all." She looks towards the back of the kitchen. "It looks like some of the orders are ready."

"Yeah, we should go get them..." Madison remarks. A thoughtful look comes across her face. "Yeah...look Schuyler like I said you really need to try and let your anger about Nick go. And while I know you are attracted to Fen, you have to be realistic about your chances with him." She looks at her friend "So if you see him today... try not to get overexcited or have unrealistic expectations. He's still engaged and is going to marry a woman he loves." Madison reminds her.

"So look and don't touch... right?" Schuyler replies frowning.

"That's all you can do." Madison tells her. Schuyler shakes her head and the two women go and get some of the orders that were ready for guests. After they do that, they go around and take the orders of other guests who had arrived. They both see Nick sitting at a table and look at each other.

"Do you want me to go take care of his order?" Madison asks looking at Schuyler.

Schuyler shakes her head. "No. I will take it."

Madison makes a face. "Are you sure?" She asks.

"I am. Like you said I need to get over Nick. And one way to do that is showing that he no longer has an effect on me. I can take his order." Schuyler nods her head. "I am going to treat him like he's just another customer."

"Okay..." Madison says a bit uncertain.

Schuyler heads over to Nick's table. He's looking down at his phone and then looks up when he sees her. His eyes widen when he sees her.

"Long time no see." Schulyer says greeting him. She purses her lips. "Well, actually I did see you the other day at Crimson Lights." She informs him. "I don't know if you saw me or not, you look like you were having a good time with your new lady.." She frowns. "I didn't know you had already moved on so quickly."

Nick makes a face and shakes his head. "I was just chatting with a friend." He tells her.

Madison nods. "Un-huh." She says unconvinced. "It sounded like you were planning a special date..." She replies. "Which is kind of funny, because you never took me on a date." She states scournfully.

Nick sighs. "Like I said she is my friend, and we are going to a family event of hers..." He rests his hand on the table and looks up at Schuyler. "I don't know why you care so much since you broke things off with me and told me to leave you alone." He frowns. "I've tried to honor your wishes... that is what you wanted right?"

They look into each other's eyes for a moment. Schuyler frowns again. "Yes, that is what I wanted."

"Okay, then.." Nick says. "Because I thought maybe you were coming over here to take my order, not confront me about moving on."

Schuyler sighs and rolls her eyes. She then takes out a pen and notepad. "What would you like?" She asks. Nick places his order and she writes it down.

Schuyler then raises her eyebrow. "Are you dining alone, today?" She probes.

"For now." Nick says shortly.

"'l'll go put your order in and be back in a bit." Schuyler walks away briskly from his table, a bit annoyed by their exchange. She gives the order to the chef and meets up with Madison in the kitchen.

"Everything go okay?" Madison inquires.

Schuyler shrugs. "My exchange with Nick was a bit testy... but eh..." Schuyler's voice trails off and she frowns.

"Well, I didn't hear any dishes being flung, so that's a good sign." Madison jokes.

"No, I didn't throw anything." Schuyler confirms. "Though seeing him sitting there, did trigger feelings like the anger I had when we broke up..." She admits to Madison.

"But you held it together and managed to take his order, which is good." Madison tells her. "Eventually you will learn to let go of that anger you have about your failed relationship with him. It will get better." She promises Schuyler.

Schuyler sighs. "Right. Eventually."

The two women talk some more and take out orders that were ready for guests. While they are doing that Lily enters the restaurant. Nick notices her and smiles. She smiles back and goes over to talk to him.

"Hey Nick, how are you?" She greets him.

"Good Lily. I'm just about to have some breakfast." Nick informs her. "How are you doing?"

"Fine." Lily adjust her purse strap and looks at him. "I was just going to order some take out before I head into work." She tells him.

"No time to sit down and eat?" He inquires curiously. "I know that you said that things have been really busy at Hamilton-Winters lately." He smiles. "And that you've been helping hold down the fort."

Lily nods. "And things are still busy...Devon is still out of town helping his wife with her family situation and things are still hectic at Hamilton-Winters..."

Nick gives her an understanding look. "I get it, sometimes it gets like that.." He comments.

"Yeah and Ana's wedding will be happening soon and more of the family will be coming into town, and we'll be getting together and doing stuff." Lily sighs and then smiles. "We have a lot of stuff going on regarding that as well, we plan to make it a very special event for her..."

Nick takes a sip of water. "Yeah, Summer has been telling me more about that. She has really been putting a lot of time into planning this wedding."

"And Ana definitely appreciates her help." Lily expresses to him gratefully. "She loves having Summer's support and help during this process."

"Summer is happy to do it." Nick says giving her another smile. They talk for a little more, and then Lily looks at her watch. "I guess I should be going." She remarks.

"Are you sure you don't want to sit down and have breakfast with me?" Nick asks. "I would love the company."

"I'd love to, but..."

"I ordered the eggs benedict dish...it's really good." Nick grins.

Lily smiles. "I've actually never tried that dish before."

"Really?" Nick asks. "You should try it." He suggests. "My order is coming out shortly. You could even taste a bite of it, to see if you like it."

Lily laughs. "If I were sitting down with you, I might take you up on that offer. But I really should be getting out of here." They smile at each other and Schuyler finally shows up with Nick's plate. She frowns when she sees him and Lily together.

"Your order is ready." She says and places the plate of food down in front of Nick.

"This looks great." Nick says. He looks up at Lily and smiles. "Are you sure you don't want to taste just a bite?" He asks. "And my offer for you to join me for breakfast still stands."

Madison puts her hands together and looks at Lily. She tries her best not to cringe at her and Nick's closeness. "Will, you uh... be joining him, for breakfast?" She asks.

Lily shakes her head. "I'd love to, but I really do have to get up out of here. I'll just place my order at the bar."

Nick shrugs and smiles. "Your loss."

"But..." Lily reaches out and puts her hand on his shoulder. "We can have breakfast again another time."

"I'm going to take you up on that." Nick remarks. Schuyler frowns deeply as she continues to watch them interact.

Nick looks away from Lily for a moment and looks at Schuyler. "Is everything okay?" He asks noticing how hard she was looking at him.

"Um...Yes." Schuyler says trying to mask her feelings. "I just wanted to make sure the food was prepared to your liking." She covers.

Nick picks up his fork and knife and takes a bite of the food. "Ummmm…" He says as he's tasting it. "It's very good. Thank you Schuyler."

She nods. "Of course. Uh... Let me know if you need anything else." She turns to walk away, glancing back at Nick and Lily one last time.

"Okay, I'm going now, but I will see you later." Lily says.

"Definitely. And we're still on for the wedding right?" Nick asks. Schuyler hears that part and frowns.

"Of course." Lily confirms. She then bids him good-bye and goes up to the bar to place her order.

Schuyler goes and takes another person's order and goes back into the kitchen. She was upset at seeing how close Nick and Lily seemed but tried to shake it off. She knew she would be better off taking Madison's advice and trying to get over her anger regarding Nick, though she was continuining to find that a very tough thing to do. She takes a deep breath and continues to work during her shift.


	26. A Couple of More Doses of Realism Pt I

**A Couple of More Doses of Realism Part II**

Later that afternoon Schuyler gets off from work and heads over to Crimson Lights to pick up some of her favorite sweets before heading home. As she goes into the coffee house, she sees a familiar face.

"Fen!" She says excitedly seeing him seated at a table in the coffee house.

He smiles at her. "Hi, Schuyler." He says greeting her.

She goes over to his table to talk to him. "How are you doing?" She asks smiling. "I missed you at the club today." She teases him. "I wondered where my favorite customer was."

Fen laughs. "I was getting some things ready for my wedding." He informs her. "That's right around the corner."

Schuyler feels her heart drop when he says that. She tries to brush off that feeling. "Uh... how that is going?"

"Pretty well." Fen nods. "I've got my tuxedo and my groomsmen suits picked out. My brother Scott will be showing up in a couple of days. The caterer has been lined up for the event and things are coming together well."

"Un-huh." Schuyler nods. "Well that's sound uh... nice."

"Yeah, I'm happy with the way that things are coming together. I am excited for this wedding." Fen then looks down at his phone to see if Ana had texted him back yet. He had texted her about possibly meeting up with him today so they could touch base about their wedding in person. He also had wanted to just spend some time with her. He hadn't really gotten a chance to do that in several days and he was missing her. She was still pretty busy with work at Hamilton-Winters and handling wedding preparations on her end. He was hoping to spend some time with her today, and have dinner together. He had texted her hours ago earlier in the day and hadn't heard from her yet.

Fen looks back up from his phone and back up at Schuyler. "I finally get to marry the woman that I love and get to spend some quality time with her."

"Where is she now?" Schuyler asks curiously. "At work again?"

"Probably. And she's also been handling some more wedding preparations…." Fen speculates.

Schuyler raises her eyebrows. "You don't have a runaway bride situation on your hands, do you?" She jokes.

Fen smiles and shakes his head. "No. Nothing like that. She has just had her hands full lately…" He informs Schuyler.

"And leaving you alone yet again." She finds herself saying bluntly.

"I'm alright." Fen says looking down at his phone again and rubbing his face. He still hadn't received a text from Ana.

"Okay…. Well, I just got off from work and stopped by this place to get some of favorite sweets. Have you tried the butterscotch sticky pecan buns that they have started serving here?"

Fen shakes his head. "No, I haven't."

"Well, they are to die for, I'm going to pick me up a couple to take home and a few other goodies as well. I can get you one if you want." She offers smiling. She looks at his table.

"I see you have a drink there." She observes. "But have you eaten yet?" She asks.

"I haven't actually." Fen admits honestly. "I was going to wait and see if Ana would text me back so we can have dinner somewhere in a little while."

"Un-huh." Schuyler nods. "Well, while you're waiting on her, to contact you from wherever she is…, I can pick you up one of those buns..."

"Oh, you don't have to do that…" Fen says.

"I want to, it can give you something sweet to nibble on in the meantime." Schuyler winks at him and goes up to the counter to place her order. The cashier tells her that a new set of buns are still in the oven and will be out in a few minutes. Schuyler nods and agrees to wait for them. While she's near the counter waiting for her order, Nate and Phyllis come in together. They go up to the counter and place an order as well.

Fen continues to sit down at his table waiting for Ana. He looks at his phone another time and then he hears a familiar voice.

"Fen…" Ana says looking at him and smiling.

"Ana." He says happily. He grins when he sees her.

"Hey, babe… It's feels like I haven't seen you in forever…" She says sighing.

"Yeah, that's what it feels like…" Fen replies. "I sent you a text earlier today."

"Oh…" Ana gives him an apologetic look. "My phone died, and I needed to charge it up. I've been so busy today and the past several days at work. And doing stuff for the wedding. You know my mom and dad are showing up in a couple of days."

Fen nods. "I know. I'll be happy to see them."

Ana smiles. "Me too, and Scott should be here shortly soon, right?"

Fen nods. "He will be arriving in a couple of days as well." He confirms to her.

"Good." Ana says.

"So, you didn't get my text but are you off from work, now?" Fen asks. "Do you want to have some dinner? We can have it here or go somewhere else."

"I actually was just going to pick up some coffee and a snack and then head over to Summer's. We still have to handle some last-minute details for regarding the wedding, including stuff regarding the bridesmaids and me…"

"Oh." Fen says a bit disappointed. "I was hoping we could spend some time together tonight and also touch base some more on the wedding."

"I'm sorry babe I still have quite a bit of stuff to finalize for the wedding, and work has kind of put that on hold." Ana explains to him. "I really was just going to grab something really quick and head out… But we can definitely talk later, I can call you and we can touch base." Ana looks at him. "And I promise you I will make some time for you this week, to touch base on everything." She makes a gesture with her hands. "And I can call you tonight…"

"When your phone is charged up…" Fen adds.

She nods. "When my phone is charged up. We will talk about things tonight. And we can get together with some of our family when they show up." She smiles. "You can have dinner with my parents, they would love that."

"Okay…" Fen agrees. "I'll just have to suffer without you for a little longer." He jokes.

Ana laughs. "I don't want you to suffer… it's just…"

Fen nods understanding. "I get it, things are going full speed for you right now…"

She turns her head to the side and looks at him smiling. "But things will slow down soon, and we will get more time to spend together. Especially on our honeymoon." She gives a him teasing look. "You can have me to yourself then…"

Fen smiles. "I am looking forward to that."

"Yeah… me too." Ana then looks at her watch. "Okay, I'm supposed to be meeting up with Summer shortly." She sighs. "I guess, I better go get my coffee and snack. And I will talk to you later."

Fen nods and then looks down for a moment thinking. "Okay, but I can ask you for a favor first?"

Ana gives him a curious look. "What's that?"

"Can I have a kiss?"

Ana smiles. "Oh, Fen. Of course. You don't have to ask for that…"

Fen smiles and jumps up. He moves closer to her and puts his arms around her waist. She wraps her arms around him, and they share a long kiss. A feeling of happiness washes over Ana during it as she enjoys being in Fen's arms again.

While this is happening Phyllis and Nate are still sitting at the counter waiting on their order. Phyllis notices Fen and Ana kissing.

"Aw the two lovebirds over there…" She says looking at them for a moment, and then looks at Nate and smiles.

"You know that could be you… that is if you actually put some effort into your love life." She tells him.

"Not this again, Phyllis…" Nate shakes his head.

"What, I'm just telling the truth." Phyllis states bluntly. She shakes her head.

"I mean I took you to Society a few nights ago, and I felt like you weren't putting yourself out there as much as you could have…" Phyllis touches her face thinking. Nate sighs and looks behind the counter to watch the server making his and Phyllis's drinks.

During this time the sticky buns had come out of the oven and the cashier had put Schulyer's order together for her. Schuyler paid for it and she gathered her things, happy at the thought of giving one of the treats to Fen. She turns around to take his bun to him, when she sees Ana and him kissing. Her heart sinks when she sees that, and she becomes upset. She shakes her head and looks down at the bun she had bought for him. She rolls her eyes and decides to leave the restaurant. She walks past them briskly.

After she's leaving the building, Fen and Ana end their kiss.

"_Oh_…" Ana sighs happily after their kiss ends. "I miss that." She laughs.

"I do too." Fen says lightly squeezing her waist.

Ana caresses his face with her hand. "I really am sorry babe; I know I haven't been around much lately."

"It's okay… I understand…"

"And like I said we will get plenty of time to spend together when things calm down a little at work, and after we're married." Ana puts her arms around his neck and smiles. "And of course, on our honeymoon." She kisses him again.

"And I'm looking forward to all of that." Fen remarks.

"Good." Ana lightly drums her fingers on his chest. "Because it's going to be great, I promise."

Fen nods. They talk for a little more and then he bids her good-bye while she goes up to the counter to place her order. Fen watches her for a moment and smiles. He sees Nate and Phyllis sitting at the counter and he acknowledges them with a nod and smile. He also notices that Schuyler wasn't at the counter and wondered if she had decided to leave for some reason. He figured she had and looks down at his phone and sees a text from Scott. He sits at his table for a bit longer and talks to his brother via text.

At the counter Ana places her order, and then looks at Nate and Phyllis.

"How are you two doing?" She asks them.

"Doing good, Doing good." Nate tells her smiling.

"I'm doing fine, thanks for asking." Phyllis says smiling at her. They chat for a little and then Ana brings up the wedding.

"I really appreciate all of the help that Summer has given me for this wedding." Ana tells Phyllis gratefully. "She has been an awesome friend and wedding planner to me."

"She's happy to do it. She's having a blast helping you." Phyllis tells her with a smile. They talk for a little more and then Ana looks at Nate.

"Remember Nate you can bring someone as your plus one." She says smiling at him. "You RSVP'd but haven't mentioned bringing a date. You can bring anyone you want…"

"Well, I may just go to that event solo…" Nate informs her.

Ana shrugs. "Okay, but you really can bring anyone you want." Her order is then ready, and she bids Nate and Phyllis good-bye. She also says good-bye to Fen again on her way out.

"So, you really are going to attend Ana's wedding alone…?" Phyllis probes.

"Yeah, I don't know of anyone I want to take."

Phyllis crosses her arms and gives him a look. "Well, you could have found someone if you hadn't shrunk at Society, when all of those beautiful women were interested in you."

Nate lets out a laugh. "Shrunk? I didn't shrink. I mingled with the ladies…"

Phyllis snorts. "Mingle was the only thing you did…"

"What else was I supposed to do; I'm not going to throw myself at them." Nate says defiantly. He then smiles at the server as she hands him his drink. He takes a sip of it.

"You don't have to throw yourself at them, but you were kind of giving half an effort with the women there." She lightly taps his shoulder. "And I know some of them were definitely into you. I saw the looks they were giving you, but you didn't seem that interested for some reason…" She looks at him curiously.

"And I wonder why that is…"

Nate shrugs. "It was a long day at work." He remarks to her. He looks down at his drink.

"Un-huh… Yeah, I don't buy that story exactly. What happened?" She asks. "You seemed much more…. I don't know upbeat about dancing at Society, when we talked about it. But when we went there, you didn't seem interested much into trying to find someone to date… And I wonder why?" She looks him over. "Did something happen Nate?"

Nate sighs and makes a face. "I mean… it's just…." He thinks for a moment and falls quiet.

"Something did happen. What is it? Tell me…"

He shrugs his shoulders. "It's just prior to us going dancing that night I overheard Elena talking about the wedding…"

"Okay... and…"

"I think she said she was bringing a date to it…"

Phyllis sits back a little. "_Oh_…" She replies understanding. "And that bummed you out, to the point, you couldn't really put yourself out there for other women?" She inquires.

"I just wasn't in the mood after hearing that."

Phyllis sighs. "Well, Nate you and Elena… well things didn't work out for you two like that. It makes sense that one or both of you would eventually move on from that…"

Nate nods. "Yeah, but it just, hearing she had a date bugged me, I guess." He shakes his head and takes another sip of his drink. "I know I shouldn't feel like that, but…"

Phyllis pats his arm. "But you loved her. I get it. I've been there." A thoughtful look then comes across her face and she sits up. "But that should be all the more reason, why you should try and move on and find you a woman who is truly right for you." She encourages him. "It's why you don't half step it when you go out and women show interest in you."

Nate laughs. "Well, I didn't mean to half-step it…"

"But you did." Phyllis reminds him. "And now it's time for you to stop doing that and really make an effort by putting yourself out there…." She says. "For starters you should be taking your own date to this wedding. You heard Ana, she said you can bring anyone you want to it…"

Nate shakes his head. "Who am I going to get to go to the wedding with me on such a short notice? It's right around the corner."

"Well, we can hit Society again or go to another club… We can find you someone." She offers.

Nate shakes his head. "Nah, I think I will just go solo, like I told Ana. We can resume our search for my dream lady, after the wedding…" He jokes.

"But you might be extra vulnerable if you see Elena with a new guy and you have no one…"

"I'll try my best to tone down the vulnerability at the wedding." Nate says sarcastically.

"Un-huh… Are you sure there is no one that you want to take?" Phyllis probes.

Nate shrugs. "No…" A thought then hits him. "Hey… you know if you want you can come to the wedding with me…" He suggests.

Phyllis eyes widen a little. "_Me_?"

"Yeah, you… Like you said Ana says I can invite anyone I want. And you're the mother of her matron of honor. You're a good fit as my date…"

Phyllis smiles. "Well, thanks Nate, but don't you want to go with someone else?"

He shrugs again. "There is nobody else right now." He admits honestly. He looks at her. "So, you want to go?" He asks. "Or I do have to risk the chance of being extra vulnerable without a date, in front of Elena." He makes a gesture with his hand. "And whatever man she chooses to show up with." He looks at Phyllis and smiles. They share a look and then they both laugh.

"Well, I don't want you to be left hanging like that." She says smiling.

"Then agree to be my date and be my life jacket." He suggests. He gives her a look. "Don't let me drown in my own_ vulnerability_." He laughs again.

Phyllis thinks for a moment. "Okay, you know what... yeah. I can do that. I can be your date, for this event." She agrees.

"Cool." He nods. "The wedding sounds like it's going to be fun."

"Summer's been working really hard on it… and if there is anything my daughter is, she's definitely fun..." Phyllis confirms to him.

She lightly taps the counter with her hand. "Okay, it's settled. We will go to the wedding together. And once it's over we will resume our search to find you the best woman for you…"

"Whatever you say…" Nate replies. They look at each other and smile again. They spend a bit more time at Crimson Lights enjoying their drinks and each other's company.


	27. First Breaking Point

**The First Breaking Point**

Schuyler comes through the door upset. She takes a breath and throws her purse and bag of treats down on the couch. Seeing Fen kiss Ana like that had really upset her. It made her angry. She was already upset about seeing Nick and Lily's growing closeness at the athletic club. And the Fen and Ana kiss added fuel to that fire.

Schuyler closes her eyes and takes a breath trying to calm herself. She knew that Fen was going to marry Ana, but she still couldn't help the way that he made her feel. And she felt like he liked her and that they had a connection. He was always so nice to her and seemed to care about her. He seemed to like her. In fact, he did like her. She knew he did. And she heard him say that she was very pretty. She knew he was attracted to her, and with the way he treated her she was holding out hope that…

"It makes me so angry!" She says aloud and opens her eyes. Schuyler had hoped that there was a chance that Fen wouldn't marry Ana. Or that if they got married, it wouldn't last long and then he would divorce Ana. And maybe turn to her. She knew it wasn't the most realistic wish, but she was still holding out hope that type of thing could happen.

She clinches her first when she sees him again kissing Ana so passionately. It had hurt seeing that. She had seen them together at the athletic club, but he hadn't kissed Ana like that in front of Schuyler. Schuyler felt disrespected, and even betrayed. Fen had just been chatting with her. Like he _always_ chatted with her. Like he _always_ did when ever he was alone. Which Schuyler felt was often, especially in the past few weeks. Schuyler felt that Ana had been neglecting Fen. He didn't say she was, but Schuyler had sensed that. She had wondered if Fen was lonely every time, she saw him in the restaurant by himself. She felt like he was.

_Why else would he engage me in conversation? _She wonders to herself. To her it didn't make much sense that Fen would always talk to her and be so warm and inviting. And acted like he was interested in what she had to say and her whenever they talked. She really felt a connection between them and good vibes, but... She thinks about him kissing Ana again in front of her. Even after she offered to buy him a sticky bun.

_I should have never spent my hard earned money on him._ She thinks. She looks down at the bag of treats that she had thrown on the couch. She goes over and puts it on the kitchen table. She takes out the bun that she had bought Fen and she looks at it. She felt like throwing it in the trash. She then goes gets a pot. She looks at the pot and then back at the bun. She takes the pot and smashes the bun with it. She hits it multiple times. The table is wooden and doesn't break but getting her anger out does help Schuyler feel a bit better. She looks at the bun smashed up in several pieces and then gets a napkin and wipes it up. She tries to calm down again.

She decides to listen to some music. Music was something that would calm her down whenever she was angry. It helped calm her down after all of the times she came home disappointed and angry when she was involved with Nick. Including the day, they broke up and she had broken his vase in his home. That day she had come home so angry and had wanted to break even more stuff. Madison wasn't home and she had thrown some things. But ultimately calmed down after she turned on the radio and listened to some music. Music from her favorite station had calmed her.

She gets the radio and decides to turn it on. A song plays that she likes, and she starts to calms down. Then one of the local radio hosts starts talking.

"So, a local pop star is getting married this weekend." The male host says.

"Yes, that's right." The female host says. "Fenmore Baldwin is marrying his fiancée this weekend."

"That's right Jenny he's marrying Ana Hamilton former R&B singer and head of LP at Hamilton Winters record label."

"And the sister of billionaire Devon Hamilton." Jenny laughs. "I wish I had a brother that was a billionaire, Sal." She states in a lighthearted manner.

Sal laughs. "Don't we all Jenny. Don't we all." He says.

"You know this is such a perfect time of the year to get married. It truly is wedding season. I bet Fen and Ana's wedding is going to be lovely. I wonder how many musicians will be there." She wonders.

"I've seen reports that Xavier Dorsey will be there." Sal says. "I have a source that says that he's one of Fen's groomsmen."

"That's awesome." Jenny says. "I'm sure other artists will be there as well." She predicts.

"Maybe. Along with of course Family and friends." Sal replies.

"I'm sure it will be a lovely time had by all." Jenny remarks. "And I wish them the very best. Fen has always been so gracious whenever we've interviewed him. He's one of the nicest artists I've interacted with." Jenny reveals.

"That he is. We wish him a happy marriage and life with his new bride Ana."

"Definitely." Jenny agrees. "And can you imagine how talented and beautiful their children will be." She says. She laughs. "They are both very good-looking people. I've met Ana. She is stunning." She remarks. "And that's the kind of a thing I wonder whenever celebrities get married, is what their kids will look like or be like. I can't help it. I am so interested in celebrities' lives."

"Maybe you should go work for a tabloid." Sal jokes.

"I like this gig too much." Jenny responds laughing. "But no doubt they will have pretty children." After she says that. Schuyler shuts off the radio. She then picks it up and throws it across the room, and it crashes on the ground.

"Ughhh!" She lets out a yell and then lays back against the couch. Hearing the radio hosts talking about what a wonderful like they believed that Fen/Ana would have upset her even more. It helped illustrate how much he loved Ana. And how he didn't feel that way about Schuyler and how alone she was. And that hurt her. Because she really cared about Fen. She had deep feelings for him and to have it illustrated even more how he wanted to share his life with another woman, made her feel like someone had punched her in the stomach. And even though she knew he was engaged to Ana, it was just another punch in the gut, another relationship that she couldn't have or had failed.

She starts to think about her past failed relationships and interests in men that didn't go anywhere. Nick, Fen, Todd, Spence..., and the list goes on. It hurt to never feel like any man's first choice, or to have men not really want to commit to her. And it was a special type of hurt with Fen, because she felt he was one of the good ones. Even though she knew he had planned to marry another woman it still hurt. Schuyler sighs and puts her hand on her face. She then hears a buzz. She reaches into her purse and pulls out her phone. She sees a text from Madison.

_Shift is over. Will be home shortly. Hope you picked me up a sweet treat._ That text brings Schuyler back to reality and she takes a breath and tries to compose herself. She goes and picks up the radio and puts it away. She then gets the bag of sweets and puts it on the coffee table and turns on the TV. She wanted to appear as normal as possible when Madison came home. She didn't want Madison to sense how she was feeling. Especially after Madison had warned her about being too interested in Fen. Schuyler was having a hard time getting a grip on her anger about Fen and also Nick and men in general. But she decided that she would try her best to hide it from Madison and try and get herself together.


	28. The Wedding Part I The Ceremony

**The Wedding Part I-The Ceremony**

"This whole set up is lovely." Phyllis remarks as she and Nate take their seats outside at Fen and Ana's wedding. Ana and Fen were having their wedding at a luxury resort in Wisconsin that was located on a lake. They were having the wedding outside and the reception would be held later inside a ballroom at the resort.

"Yes, your daughter and everyone involved did a wonderful job getting this thing together." Nate says looking around and admiring the set up. He touches some of the pretty flowers that were arranged near some of the seats. He looks across the way and smiles at the pond. "Very nice scenery here."

"And you look sharp." Phyllis says complimenting him.

"So, do you." He says looking at her green dress.

"Thank You." Phyllis replies. "It looks like we are a bit early."

"Better to be early than late." Nate responds. They chat for a bit more and then the rest of the guests start to arrive at the wedding.

They see Gloria arrive along with Chloe and Bella.

"This whole venue is just lovely." Gloria gushes as she enters the area. "Such a beautiful place for my grandson and his bride to be getting married."

"This is beautiful." Chloe agrees holding Bella's hand.

"It's very pretty mommy." Bella states. They walk past Phyllis and Nate and greet them. Bella waves at them and smiles. They wave back. They go and take some seats on the other side of the area.

More guests continue to arrive including some friends of Ana from her bridal shower including Rochelle and Anastasia. They take their seats. Devon shows up next holding Kenny in his arms.

He goes over to Nate and Phyllis and greets them.

"Hey Nate, Phyllis." He says greeting them.

"Hey Devon." Nate says greeting him.

"Hi." Phyllis says.

"Hey little man." Nate reaches up and gently touches Kenny's arm. Kenny smiles at Nate.

"You guys look sharp." Nate compliments them.

"Thanks." Devon replies smiling.

"And this resort is beautiful, Devon." Phyllis tells him. "This is such a great place to have a wedding."

"I wanted to give my baby sister the best. She said she wanted to be married a bit closer to home, and this was the best resort here in the state." Devon states smiling. He looks around and sighs. "Though, I wish my wife could be here."

"She's still trying to deal with that situation with her family?" Nate asks giving Devon a knowing look.

Devon nods and frowns. "Yeah, she's still trying to help them deal with that stuff." He sighs. "I've been helping and supporting her as much as I can. Flying out trying to help…."

Nate nods understanding. "I know."

"But I had to get back for Ana's wedding today. I didn't want to miss my baby sister's wedding."

"And I'm sure your wife understands." Nate replies.

Devon nods. "She does, she wishes she could be here, but…" The two men look at each other in understanding.

"But hey at least you and Kenny are here. I know that Ana is happy that you're both here. You know she's crazy about Kenny."

"Yeah." Devon and Nate talk for a bit more and then Devon goes off to find Kenny's nanny. Phyllis and Nate chat as more guests arrive for the wedding, including Abby.

"Hello Nate." Abby walks up to them and stops to talk with him.

"Hey Abby." He replies giving her a smile.

"How are you?" She asks.

"Fine, I am just ready to enjoy this wedding. Watching my cousin getting married on this fabulous occasion."

"And it's such a beautiful day." Abby adds smiling. "I'm just in a really good mood today for some reason. Weddings do that to me." She confesses.

"Yeah, weddings definitely can put a person in a joyful mood." Nate says looking at her and smiling. They smile at each other again and Phyllis makes a face.

"Well, I guess I will go say hello to some people, including Devon and then I will take my seat." Abby states. "Maybe save a dance for me later?" She asks.

Nate nods. "Yeah that would be nice." Abby walks off to go mingle with some more guests.

Phyllis nudges Nate. "I thought you were moving forward in trying to find you a new lady."

Nate laughs. "I can still dance with an ex." He remarks amused. "Like Abby says today is a beautiful day and there is nothing wrong with taking a spin on the dance floor with her."

"If that's the only spin you take with her." Phyllis cautions.

Nate rolls his eyes and touches his chest. "I just want to have fun today, Phyllis that's all. I want to celebrate this wonderful union of love between my cousin and her husband. And have fun." He gestures with his hands.

"And take a break from work, and things going on with the board and even finding Ms. Right." He looks at Phyllis and smiles. "I just want to relax and kick it today. Do you know what I mean?" He asks looking at her.

She nods. "I know what you mean." She then leans against him and gives him a gentle bump. "And I hope you save a dance for me today as well." She says. He nods.

"Of course. You know I am going to dance with the one who came with me." He says laughing. They talk for a bit more and more guests arrive including Nick, who was there as Lily's date.

Nick comes over to greet them.

"This is a really nice place." Nick says looking around. "Our daughter did a terrific job of helping Ana and Fen put this together." He remarks proudly.

"Yes, she did." Phyllis agrees. "We know what beautiful things she can accomplish when she puts her mind to it." She looks at him. "You're here with Lily, right?" She asks.

Nick nods. "I am." He confirms to her. "She's off with the bridal party but we'll be hanging out later today."

"Un-huh." Phyllis says and they talk some more. Nick then goes and takes his seat. More people continue to show including some friends of Fen and friends/co-workers of Ana from Hamilton Winters. Including a few musicians. Nate and Phyllis continue to chat while the guests arrive.

While all of this is going on Ana is in her bridal ready room at the resort getting ready for the wedding. Her makeup and hair had been done. Her bridesmaids and her mother Harmony are with her assisting her. The bridesmaids were dressed in pretty wine colored dresses and Harmony looked lovely as well.

"You look amazing." Lily comments as she is helping her.

"Just beautiful girl." Sophia adds.

"Stunning." Summer says as the ladies continue to help her. Ana looks at herself in the mirror and smiles. She was wearing a beautiful white lace and tulle wedding dress. The top of the dress was long sleeved and had lace and v neck and the bottom was a lovely ballgown skirt. She looked beautiful. She chats with the bridesmaids and her mother some more and after they are finished helping her, everyone turns to leave. Except her mother, who is left alone with her. Ana turns around and looks at her mother.

"Are you ready, baby?" Harmony asks.

"Yes. I feel like I am." Ana confirms to her. She smiles and stands up and looks at her mother.

"You look beautiful." Harmony tells her. Tears then well up in her eyes. "I am so proud of you and all that you have accomplished in your life." She tells her.

"I know that I haven't always been there for you…" She begins.

Ana reaches out and grabs her mother's hands. "It's okay, Mom." She assures her. "You're here now. And I'm glad that you are." Ana says gratefully. "I'm glad you are here to share this special day with me."

"I am too sweetheart." She sighs. "I think that I am more nervous about this than you are." She states and laughs.

"Don't be." Ana assures her. "It's going to be fine. I am marrying the man that I love, and Devon is giving us this bomb wedding, that we can share with all of our family and friends."

"Yeah, I guess I just have mother of the bride jitters." Harmony says. Her and Ana hug each other. They talk for a little more and then Harmony leaves. Ana then checks herself out again and gathers herself and prepares to meet up with her father who would be walking her down the aisle.

While she is doing that, Fen is waiting at the alter for her along with his groomsmen. He was dressed in a black tuxedo and looked very handsome. His groomsmen were in suits and were also well dressed for the occasion.

"Are you nervous little brother?" Scott asks, putting his hands on Fen's shoulder as they are standing at the altar together. He was Fen's best man.

"No, I'm not nervous." Fen says. "I just want to marry the woman that I love. And celebrate with our loved ones and then jet off to our honeymoon together." He says bluntly.

"Okay…." Scott says. "You are ready to get things rolling." He laughs.

Fen looks at his brother and smiles. "I am." He says. "Ana and I we've been working hard to get this wedding planned and now we just want to get married & start our new life together."

"I get you." Scott says. He pats his brother's shoulder again and they smile at each other. Fen also looks back at Xavier who smiles at him. They stand at the alter talking a little more. Ana's bridesmaids have also assembled at the altar and were buzzing with excitement. Things settle down a bit as the music starts to play. Everyone turns and looks down the aisle as Jett and Ana appears. They smile at each other and she takes his arm. Fen smiles at the sight of her. She was beautiful and the sight of her took his breath away.

Everyone stands and looks at Ana and smiles at her as she walks with Jett down the aisle. She smiles at and looks at some of them including Devon and Nate. Jett delivers her to the alter and she turns and hugs him and gives him a kiss on the cheek. Jett reaches out and shake Fen's hand. She then goes up and stands beside Fen and smiles at him, ready to begin the ceremony.

The minister looks at them and smiles and then addresses the crowd.

"Welcome everyone". He begins. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the love and union of Fenmore Baldwin and Ana Hamilton. We are here to witness the love that these two people have for each other and the lifelong commitment that they want to make to one another."

Harmony's eyes tear up as the minister is speaking. Devon looks at her and smiles, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Marriage expresses the highest form of love between two people in a committed relationship. And today our bride and groom will be joined together by their love in a loving, legal and public way. In a way that unites their hearts, and spirits and is witnessed by their loved ones."

The minister talks a little bit more about the significance of marriage and important ways that a couple can stand together and constantly show each other that they love and support one another. He also talks about how important faith is and how that can have a positive impact on marriage. It is then time for Ana and Fen to recite their vows.

"It is time for our bride and groom to recite their vows." Ana and Fen then face each other and take each other's hands. They look at each other excited and happy that they were about to pledge their love to each other.

"Starting with the groom, I want you to repeat after me." The minister says looking at Fen.

"I Fen, take you Ana."

Fen looks at Ana and smiles.

"I Fen take you Ana…" He repeats.

"To be my lawfully wedded wife." The minister continues.

"To be my lawfully wedded wife." Fen repeats. He repeats the vows after the minister.

"To have and to hold, In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, from this day forward, to death do us part."

Ana looks up at Fen feeling her heart skip a beat after he recites his vows, to her.

"Now it is your turn Ana." The minster says looking at her. "Repeat after me". He instructs her. Ana then recites her vows.

"I Ana take you Fen."

"To be my lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, from this day forward to death do us part."

Ana squeezes Fen's hands after she says her vows.

"The bride and groom will now exchange rings to symbolize their commitment to each other." Fen gets his ring from Scott and Ana's gets hers from Summer.

"Fen please take Ana's hand and repeat after me." The minister instructs.

"Ana, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment and promise to be faithful to you." Fen repeats what the minister instructs.

"Today, Tomorrow and all of the days to come together. And a reminder of what we have promised each other on this day."

Ana then takes the ring in her hand and makes the same vows to Fen.

Once they are done the minister comes to the conclusion of the ceremony.

"Fen and Ana, you two have said your vows to each other today, you have exchanged rings as a symbol of your love and commitment. And you have done this all in front of you loved ones and God."

"I just have one more question for you two." The minister says.

"Fen do you reaffirm you love for Ana, with the commitment you pledged today, and do you promise to love, honor and cherish her as your wife, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?" He asks.

"I do." Fen says grinning at her.

"And Ana, do you reaffirm your love for Fen with the commitment that you pledged today and do you promise to love, honor, and cherish him, forsaking all others as your husband as long as you both shall live."

"I do." Ana says beaming at Fen.

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He looks at Fen and smiles.

"You may kiss the bride."

Fen smiles and leans in and kisses Ana. She puts her hand on his face while they kiss. They stop kissing and smile at each other. Then then turn and face their loves ones with their hands held.

The minister smiles. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Mr. Fen Baldwin and Mrs. Ana Baldwin." He says.

Everyone claps and Fen and Ana look at each other, happy that they are now husband and wife.


	29. The Wedding Part II The Reception

**The Wedding, Part II: The Reception**

"I am hungry." Fen says to Ana as they are walking together and holding hands inside the resort. They are waiting to be announced by their host, along with their parents, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

"You have worked up an appetite doing all of this wedding stuff." Ana says teasing him.

"You could say that." Fen says smiling at her.

"Yeah me too." Ana admits. They had just come from taking photographs and were about to sit down and eat dinner. They were now standing outside the ballroom along with their wedding party & parents. They were all waiting to be introduced to their guests at the reception by the host they had hired for it.

"Fen, I had fun taking those photographs." Ana states looking at him. "I think they are going to come out great."

Fen takes her hand and kisses it. "Of course they are." He replies. "And your beauty is going to make them captivating." He then leans over and kisses her on the cheek. She looks into his eyes and then they kiss on the lips. They look at each other and kiss again. After the second kiss on the lips, Fen caresses her face with his hand.

"You know that I have a need for more than just food." Fen states looking into her eyes.

Ana laughs and puts her hand on his chest. "Babe we will handle that later." She promises. "I'll take care of you." She smiles. She looks into his eyes and touches his face. "We'll take care of each other."

Fen looks her up and down. "Oh, I will _definitely_ take care of you alright." He says. "All throughout the night..." He then starts to sing. "_All Night Long_..."

"_Fen_..." Ana says. She looks at him. "And you busting out the Lionel Richie." She gives him an amused look.

"I like Lionel and that song." Fen says. "And I can't help how I feel." He shrugs.

Ana gives Fen a look and smiles. "Babe, I know. And I'm with you. I am. But..." She leans a little closer to him. "Our parents and the minister are close by, so..."

"Behave myself right now." Fen finishes for her. He smiles. "Though, they should totally understand. And Ministers encourages this. It's apart of the joint together, united as one vow."

Ana laughs again.

Fen rolls his eyes and smiles. "Alright. I will just say that I can't wait to be alone with you. Especially since you've been so busy, and I haven't been seeing much of you lately..."

Ana nods. "Same, My loving husband." They smile at each other again. "But right now we need to enjoy this reception with our loved ones." She tells him. "Summer and Devon went to all of this trouble to give us this lovely wedding and reception."

Ana and Fen talk a bit more and listen as the host starts announcing people, including their parents and their wedding party. And then it's their turn.

"Ladies and Gentlemen." The host says. "I want to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Fen and Ana Baldwin."

Fen and Ana look at each other and smile and enter the room holding hands. They get applause and smile at their guests. Ana beams at them and admires how pretty the ballroom looks. They are then directed to the head table and their seats by the host. Anna looks at the table admiringly and then around the room again."This is all so lovely."

"This is so pretty." Ana remarks looking at the table with the pastel flowers decorated over it and the beautiful plate ware. She smiles at the wooden Mr. and Mrs. Sign on the table.

"This is lovely as well." She remarks touching the sign. She looks around the room. "And that pretty looking table over there for our parents." Ana smiles. "My mom is probably loving these decorations and these tablecloths." Fen and Ana settle into their seats and the reception gets underway.

Jett stands up and gives a speech welcoming everyone to the wedding.

"Thank you everyone for attending this wedding. As the proud father of the bride, I am honored that you would attend this wedding to witness the celebration of my daughter's love with her new husband Fen." He talks a little more. Everyone claps when he's done and then dinner is served.

Fen and Ana and their guests enjoy a delicious dinner of French cuisine. The speeches are then made. Including one from Summer. Fen and Ana smile and laugh as they listen to Summer's speech.

"I'm totally responsible for getting these two together." Summer brags.

"I could sense early on even before they could that there was something special between these two." Summer tells the guests.

"And I worked my magic and helped push them together." She looks at Ana and Fen and smiles.

"Fen, I've known you like all my life." She tells him. "I've watched you over the years grow… and _finally _mature." She tells him teasingly. Everyone in the room laughs. "You've come into your own as man and a musician and now you will be doing that as a husband. I could not be happier for you."

She then looks at Ana. "Ana, I have gotten close to you over the past couple of years, and you are a wonderful person. I think you are a perfect match for Fen. You compliment him well and I have seen how happy you make him." She pauses and continues. "I think you both fit each other very well. I'm happy to see that my two best friends got married and I wish you a long and happy marriage. I love you guys."

"Love you too, Summer." Ana says to her. Fen nods. "Thank you Summer." Summer sits down and then Scott and Xavier toast them as well. After all the toasts are done, Fen and Ana go off onto the dance floor to have their first dance as a couple.

Fen holds Ana tight as they dance to a slow song from an artist, they both love. She looks into his eyes and they smile. She then wraps her arms around his neck. After they dance, the guests start to come on the dance floor and more dances happen. Including Fen and Ana dancing with their parents and in-laws.

"I am so happy for you baby girl." Jett tells Ana happily as they dance together. "Me too Daddy." Ana says. "And I am so glad you are here celebrating this big day with me." She smiles at him and they continue to dance.

"You know it's really hitting me that my baby is really married." Lauren tells Fen as they dance. She smiles at him and tears comes into her eyes.

"Aw... mom." Fen says smiling.

"I am just _so_ happy for you." Lauren tells him sincerely. "I am so glad you found true love and Ana is a wonderful woman. I know that you two will be happy together." She states knowingly. "Like me and your father." Fen smiles at Lauren and kisses her cheek. "Well, you two have given me a good example on what to do for a successful marriage. And I hope that me and Ana can duplicate that success." He states warmly.

Ana then dances with Michael and Fen dances with Harmony.

"You are a great dancer, Ms. Hamilton." Fen says as he dances with Harmony to an upbeat song.

"I can get down." She says laughing. "And you're a pretty good dancer yourself Fen." She tells him. "Nice to know that my son-in-law has some moves." She laughs. She smiles at him and he twirls her around.

"You are really getting it Michael." Ana says laughing. "You are a great dancer."

"Thank you." Michael replies. "I love to dance." He tells her. "Fenmore got some of his dance moves from me." He brags.

"I don't doubt that." Ana replies laughing as they dance.

"I am so glad that he found love with you." Michael tells her sincerely. "Welcome to the family Ana."

Ana smiles touched by his comments. "Thank you. I am so happy to be apart of your family." They smile and dance some more.

As these dances are going on more guests get on the floor.

Nate is also sitting down with Phyllis and they look at each other. Just as Phyllis is about to ask Nate to dance, Abby pops up.

"I'm here to get that dance with you." Abby says smiling at him.

Nate looks up at her and smiles. "That's right." He states remembering their conversation from earlier in the day. "Let's have that dance then." He gets up and him and Abby dance together. Phyllis watches as they dance together with an amused look on her face.

She looks around the room and sees Elena watching Nate dance with Abby, with a bit of a wistful look on her face. Phyllis notices that she doesn't have a date with her.

_That's interesting she doesn't have a date with her._ Phyllis thinks to herself.

"I forgot how good of a dancer you are." Abby comments putting her arms around Nate's neck.

"And you always enjoyed a good dance." Nate says smiling at her as they continue to dance together. At one point during the dance he looks over at Elena and they lock eyes. She makes a face and then looks away.

After they finish dancing Abby looks at Nate and smiles again. "That was really nice, Nate." She remarks.

He nods. "Yes it was." They talk for a little more and then Abby goes and talks to other guests at the party.

Nate looks around the room and puts his hands in his pockets. He sees Elena talking to some people at the party including some bridesmaids. He then sees her getting a drink by herself at a table. He wonders if he should go over and talk to her. He decides to.

"How are you doing, Elena?" He asks.

"I am doing fine." She tells him. "How are you?"

"I'm doing quite well." Nate responds. "This wedding is wonderful. The atmosphere is great, the food is great, Ana and Fen are happy. And you can feel the love in the air."

Elena smiles. "It really is a gorgeous wedding." She sighs. "And I am so happy for Ana and Fen. You can really feel the love between those two." She takes a sip of her drink and then gives Nate a knowing look. "I am glad that some people find a way to make it."

Nate nods. "Everyone isn't so lucky to end up with the love of their lives. Or someone that they deeply love." He states. "But for those that do it is such a wonderful experience, a blessing really."

Elena nods. "Yes it is." She agrees. She looks around. "And it's so nice to see all of their family and loved ones gathered around and celebrating their love."

Nate smiles. "Definitely."

"And it's nice that people are also here with their plus ones..." Elena looks at him curiously. "I saw you came here with Phyllis." She tells him. "That's... nice."

"Yeah, I thought she was a fitting person to bring." Nate admits. "She's the mother of the matron of honor."

"Right." Elena nods. "And she's your uh..." She says fishing for the word that she wanted to use. Elena had seen Nate and Phyllis hanging out before around town. She knew they had become friends, but wasn't sure if it had turned into something more.

"She is my friend." Nate clarifies clearing things up. "We are friends and I enjoy her company." He tells Elena.

"That's good." Elena responds. "It's nice she came to keep you company here."

"Did you come here with anybody?" Nate asks. "I didn't see you with anyone, but maybe he stepped away or something."

Elena shakes her head. "Nope. I had a date lined up but he had to cancel at the last minute. Something to do with a business emergency."

Nate shakes his head and looks at her. He leans towards her. "It's his loss." He looks her up and down. "Definitely his loss."

"Yeah..." Elena says frowning. She looks down at her drink.

"You look lovely by the way." Nate tells her. "I like that color on you. Those bridesmaids dresses are really pretty."

Elena looks down at her dress. "Thank you." She says graciously. "Ana wanted the bridesmaids input on the dresses and we decided on this color."

Nate looks at her again admiringly. "And it was an excellent choice." They smile at each other. Nate then starts moving his head to the music. "The music here is great too." He states. "But that's not a surprise Fen and Ana are both talented artists and they have good taste in music." He continues to listen. "This music here makes me want to dance."

"Well, I already saw you dancing with Abby." Elena blurts out. "I mean... uh you looked like you were having a good time with her." Her eyes widen and she finishes her drink.

"It was nice to dance with her." Nate admits. "And catch up with her."

"Yeah, you two looked like you were having a good time." Elena states.

"We did." Nate admits. "It's nice to have someone to dance with at an event like this." He puts his hands in his pockets again and looks at Elena. "Have you hit the dance floor yet?" He asks.

She shakes her head. "No, not yet."

"You should. You should get out there and have some fun. Let your hair down so to speak." He suggests. "I heard that being a bridesmaid can be a hard job." He teases.

Elena smiles. "It was a duty I was happy to do today."

"Well, now it's time to relax." Nate remarks. He looks out onto the floor. "Would you like to dance with me?" He asks. "I'm still in the mood to dance."

Elena makes a face thinking.

Nate makes a gesture with his hand. "That is... if you want to." He states. "If you don't feel like it, I totally understand."

Elena looks around at all the people dancing and then smiles. "You know... I think that I am in the mood for a dance." She remarks.

"Come on then." Nate says. They walk out onto the floor and start dancing together to an upbeat song. They dance and enjoy themselves.

"Do you remember Jett's birthday party that we had about a year and a half ago?" Nate asks.

Elena nods. "Of course I do." She recalls.

"That was a blast and it had great music... like this wedding." Nate remarks.

"But a lot more oldies..." Elena comments.

"But Goodies." Nate interjects. They both look at each other and laugh. They continue to dance and then Nate has a flashback of them at that birthday party of Jett's.

_Flashback_

"This cake is _so_ good." Elena comments as she's eating a piece of it at Jett's party. "Delicious vanilla bean buttercream and chocolate. Yummy." She looks at Nate and smiles.

"Why aren't you having any cake?" She asks him.

Nate pats his stomach. "I'm trying to cut back on sugar." He tells her.

"Why?" She asks.

Nate shrugs. "Just to establish an even healthier lifestyle for myself. A friend of mine has inspired me to do that." He tells Elena.

"Oh, yeah?" Elena asks, taking another bite of cake.

"Yeah, he's someone I go jogging with sometimes." Nate reveals to her.

"He's in his 60's and in great shape." Nate informs her. "He says that he largely attributes his health to a good diet. Which includes limiting his sugar intake."

Elena smiles. "That's cool, but there is nothing wrong with some sugar in your life. A little sweetness never hurt anybody." They look at each other and smile. "And I admit I am a desert freak." She then pauses, thinking. "So maybe I should worry about aging well..." She ponders.

"You'll age fine." Nate assures her. "It looks like you have good genetics." He tells her. "You're in great shape and you look fantastic." He compliments her. They look into each other's eyes and Elena feels her face grow warm.

"Well... thank you for the reassurance Dr. Hastings." She tells him teasingly. "And you really should try this cake."

Nate shrugs.

"_Come on_..." Elena entices him. "It's _really_ good and it's a party. You can have a bite of mine." She offers.

She picks up a fork and hands it to him. "Cut you a small piece. Or try a bite of mine. It's really good." She assures him. "And you're going to age well, Nate. You too have good genetics." They smile at each other again.

Nate then takes his fork and tries a corner of her cake slice. He smiles when he tastes it.

"It's really good isn't it?" Elena remarks.

He nods. "Yeah it is." He agrees.

"Now cut yourself, your own piece." She instructs him.

"I'd rather continue to taste your cake instead." He says teasingly. Elena eyes widen and they smile at each other. He looks down at the cake for a moment and then back up at her, sighs and smiles. He enjoyed being around her.

_Flashback ends. _

The upbeat music stops and Nate and Elena look at each other.

"That was a fun party." He states fondly.

"Yes, it was, very fun."

"And this dance was also fun." Nate adds.

"It was..." Elena admits.

A slow song starts to play. They look around and they see some of the guests start to dance to the slower song.

"Well I guess...uh..." Nate begins thinking of what to say. Just then Phyllis appears.

"There you are Nate." She remarks looking at him. "You went ghost on me for a bit there."

"I was just mingling and dancing." Nate informs her.

"I saw that and you left me by my lonesome. But now if it's okay with you and Elena can I get a dance with you?" She asks.

Elena makes a face after Phyllis says this. "Yeah, uh... we were finished up with our dance anyway." Elena states, though she was a little disappointed that her dance with Nate had ended.

"Cool, well I guess you and me can dance now." Phyllis says to Nate.

Nate makes a face and then looks at Elena. "Uh, okay." He says a little reluctantly.

"You are an in demand dance partner tonight." Elena comments looking at him and gives him a smile. "Thank you for the dance Nate. I will see you later."

"See you later." Nate says and sighs a bit as she walks away.

Him and Phyllis then start to slow dance. He puts his hand around her waist.

"You're welcome." Phyllis tells him.

"For what?" He asks.

"For me saving you from yourself." She tells him.

Nate makes a face. "Phyllis..."

She shakes her head. "Nope..." She says. "You my friend were about to attempt to go backwards and I couldn't let you do that. I couldn't let you get hurt again like that."

"It was just a dance, Phyllis." Nate insists.

"Maybe that is the way it would start, but then you'd want more again and be back to pining and suffering again." She predicts. "And I don't want to see you go through that again."

"So it's wrong for me to dance with Elena?" Nate asks.

Phyllis shakes her head. "No, you just have to be careful. Be careful with your heart again." She cautions him. "You don't want to go backwards." She advises him. "And that includes with Abby too."

Nate rolls his eyes. "That was definitely just a dance." He insists.

Phyllis purses her lips. "Was it?" She asks. "Because you two looked awfully close dancing in each other's arms, from where I was sitting." She remarks. "You don't want to go backwards with Abby either, especially since you and her didn't want the same things. And she couldn't fully allow herself to give her heart to you."

Nate gives Phyllis a look. "So you want me to severely limit my interaction with women I've been romantically interested or involved with in the past?" He asks.

"Again, I just want you to be careful. And look towards the future. Look towards finding someone new that will really fit you." Phyllis advises him.

Nate sighs. "Well, I haven't met that person yet."

Phyllis smiles. "But you will." She claims. "And I am going to help you find that person." She promises. He gives her a look and they continue to dance together at the reception.


	30. The Wedding Part III The Reception

**The Wedding, Part III-More of the Reception**

"Fenmore, I am so proud of you." Gloria says as they dance together. "You have really come into your own as a man." She states proudly. "You have really come into your own as a successful music artist, you've found love and now you are a husband." She reaches up and pinches his cheek.

"I can remember when you were a little boy." She says. "It feels like it was yesterday." She reminisces.

"I remember watching you run around. And being excited about anything and everything." Gloria tells him. "And I knew you'd be special." She tells him. "And I hoped you would find happiness in your life and have the things that you want."

Fen nods listening to her. "And I've been fortunate to find that Grandma." He expresses gratefully. A thoughtful expression then comes across his face. "I know I've had my ups and downs in the past." He reflects honestly.

"We all have had those darling." Gloria states. "You've had some troubles, but you've had triumphs as well. And I am so glad to see you succeed like I always hoped..." Gloria pauses thinking. "Scratch that like I always _knew_ you would."

"I am glad for that too. I'm glad that I was able to grow into someone that is a better man." Fen states.

"And you have, sweetheart you really have." Gloria agrees. "And you will continue to grow along with Ana as you become closer as a couple and your bond strengthens." She informs him. They smile at each other.

She looks at Fen and then turns and glances at Ana. "And I hope that one day you add children to your family. I would love to be at great grandma." She tells him.

Fen then looks at Ana and they make eye contact. They look at each other and smile.

"Yeah, we want to add them to our lives at some point." Fen confirms to her. "We have talked about having kids someday."

"_Fabulous_." Gloria says. "I can't wait to spoil them."

Fen looks at her and laughs. They dance some more. Ana watches them dance and continues to talk to Devon.

"Thank you, so much big brother, for this lovely wedding." She expresses to him gratefully.

"Only the best for my sister and her new husband." Devon tells her. "You guys deserve to be happy and it is my pleasure to give you the wedding that you wanted."

"Thank you, so much." Ana repeats. She hugs him and Kenny who is in his arms.

"And I'm so glad you two could make it. Especially this cute little guy." She gushes and touches Kenny's cheek.

"I only wish my sister-in-law could have been apart of this occasion as well." Ana says.

A serious look comes across Devon's face and he nods. "I know." He says. "But she's still dealing with that situation with her family and she sends her love."

"We got to have you guys over for dinner in our apartment." Ana says. "After we get back from our honeymoon and she comes back to town."

"Sounds good." Devon replies. They talk for a bit more and then Fen and Ana meet up with each other again. The host goes up to them and talks with them a little bit. Ana then decides that it is time to throw her bouquet. She then goes and gets it and announces to the room that it's time to throw it.

"Okay ladies." She announces to the women in the room. "I am about to throw my bouquet." The single ladies that want to participate gather on the floor, laughing and talking to each other. Ana looks back at them and smiles.

"Okay ready." She says. She then tosses the bouquet. Many of the ladies reach for it before it bounces in someone's hands.

The ladies smile at who catches it and some of them in particular are amused.

"Mattie!" Lily exclaims laughing. "You caught the bouquet. I know you're grown now, but I had no idea that you might be the next one in line for a wedding." Lily teases.

"I wasn't really even reaching for it." Mattie claims. "I just gathered along with the rest of you on the floor as a show of unity."

"Well, you caught it." Sophia remarks amused. "Are you planning on getting married anytime soon?" She teases.

Mattie shakes her head. "No, I'm not. Heck, I'm not even seeing anyone right now." She admits.

"Well, maybe that will change." Abby says smiling. "You caught it and that means good luck."

Mattie shrugs. "Okay." She looks down at the bouquet.

Ana looks at her. "Congrats Mattie!" She tells her. "Maybe we will be attending a wedding of yours in the future."

Ana then goes and rejoins Fen. They talk a little more and then to the host again, and decide it's time to cut the cake. They go over and cut the cake together while the photographer takes a picture of them. Fen puts his hand on Ana's waist as they cut into their large and beautiful looking wedding cake. They smile at each other and feed each other cake.

"This is delicious." Ana remarks tasting the cake.

"It is." Fen agrees. Their guests are then served cake and everyone enjoys it. After everyone has enjoyed cake Ana and Fen go around and start to thank their guests for attending the wedding.

While they are doing this the guests continue to enjoy themselves including Nick and Lily.

"Thanks for inviting me to this awesome wedding." Nick tells Lily smiling. "I am having a good time here." He tells her.

"Thanks for attending it with me." She replies. "You're a fun date." She remarks to him.

"I told you I could bust a move on the dance floor." Nick says referencing to the dances they had shared with each other earlier.

"Yeah, you can get it on the floor." Lily comments and laughs. A serious look then comes across her face.

"You know I really do wish Fen and Ana a very long and happy marriage." She tells Nick. "I know that marriage can be a wonderful thing and it can bring a lot of happiness into people's lives." She then sighs.

"And it can also be tough." Nick adds. "And if two people aren't on the same page and... or fall off course, it can sink."

Lily sighs and give him a knowing look. "And we both know all two well about that." She states.

Nick nods. "Yes, we do." He agrees. He put his hands in his pockets for a moment and smiles. "But hopefully things will work out for Fen and Ana and they will have a nice long and happy marriage together." He states optimistically.

"I definitely hope so." Lily replies. "Here's hoping for the best for them." Nick and Lily smile at each other and continue to enjoy their time together. While they are doing that more people are interacting including Charlie and Lily.

"I can't believe you caught the bouquet." Charlies says gesturing towards it in Mattie's hand. "Who are you going to marry?" He asks and laughs.

Mattie rolls her eyes. "It's just a tradition." She states. "I wasn't even really reaching for it, but it landed in my hands." She looks down at the bouquet and shrugs. "And I am definitely not thinking about marrying anyone anytime soon. I want to focus on my career." She gives Charlie a smile. "Which is going nicely by the way." She informs him.

Charlie nods. "That's good, I'm glad to hear that things are going well at Jabot for you."

"And are things going well in film school?" Mattie asks. "I know you said a while back you had submitted your documentary into a contest."

Charlie nods. "I did and I have been narrowed down to one of the five finalists."

Mattie smiles. "Charlie that is great!" She tells him enthusiastically. "Mom and Dad will be thrilled to hear that." She tells him.

"Yeah, but I don't want to say anymore about it right now. I don't want to get their hopes up in case I don't win the contest." Charlie reveals to her. "But I hope I do. I feel good about it." He tells Mattie excitedly. "I would love to win the opportunity to shadow the filmmaker Darryl Lattimore Jr. I love most of his films." Charlie admits.

Mattie nods. "Yeah well I hope you win."

Charlie then snaps his fingers. "And I remember you saying you actually work with his younger brother, what's his name again?" Charlie asks.

"Monty." Mattie tells him. "I do work with him."

"Maybe you can get him to put in a good word for me with his brother Mattie." Charlie suggests jokingly.

Mattie laughs. "Uh..., Monty doesn't have control of that. He's already had his brothers help us out with the project we are working on at Jabot." She then explains to Charlie how Darryl Jr. and Lincoln used their social media accounts to help promote Jabot Collective clothes. She gives him a serious look. "They've already helped us already, I can't go telling Monty to have his brother choose your documentary just because you are my brother."

Charlie sighs. "I know and I'm joking. I want to win this contest on my own merit."

"Well, I saw your documentary and I think it's quite good." Mattie tells him. "So, I think that you have a good chance of winning it." They talk a little more and Mattie also points out to him Lincoln who was dancing with Summer. "That's one of Darryl Jr's brothers as well." She tells him. "So you know." She adds.

Charlie nods. "And don't worry I won't try and get him to put in a good word with Darryl Jr. about my documentary either." The twins talk a bit more and continue to enjoy the reception along with the other guests there.


	31. The Second Breaking Point

Schuyler sat outside of the resort in the car. "What I am doing?" She wonders to herself as she is parked outside of it. She looks over to the passenger seat and sees her gift sitting on it.

"I shouldn't be here." She thinks to herself and closes her eyes. She doesn't know what possessed her to come here. But she had overhead another employee from the Genoa City athletic club reveal where Fen and Ana were getting married. The employee was gushing about the possible wedding and it had triggered Schuyler. Just like hearing the VJ's on the radio had triggered her when they were talking about it. Schuyler had googled the place. It was a beautiful resort right on one of the Great Lakes. She had looked at pictures of the venue and became instantly jealous.

_Ana is going to get to enjoy all of this with Fen._ She had thought to herself while she was looking at pictures of the resort. _That isn't fair_. She had thought. _Why do some women get all of the good guys and others don't_. As Schuyler had looked at the pictures, the very jealous and angry feelings grew within her. She tried to take a deep breath while looking at the resort on the Internet.

_You need to let this go, Schuyler_ she thought to herself, trying to get a grip on reality. _Fen is not your man; he is going to marry another woman. He doesn't want you_. _Just like Nick didn't want you._ Schuyler sighed deeply again incredibly upset that Fen marrying another woman was about to become a reality. This news continued to really upset her, but she knew she had to try and get over it. She clicked away from the website and decided to search for something else. She needed to get her mind off Ana and Fen's wedding, though she was finding that hard to do.

_You've got to let this go Schuyler_ she had thought to herself again that night. _Sure, you want Fen, but there's no way you will have a chance with him._ She thinks to herself. _Of course, he would be the perfect guy for you._ She then thinks about all of the qualities that she likes in Fen. He was handsome, charming, funny, he'd be a perfect husband for her…

Schuyler then shakes her head. _I've really got to snap out of this_. She thinks._ I should be happy for Fen not trying to take him for myself._ She sighs again, trying to get over the feelings she was having. She knew she needed to do that and was wondering what the best way to do that was.

_Maybe I should congratulate him again about the wedding._ She ponders But she didn't have his phone number and it was the night before the wedding, so he was probably busy dealing with last minute finishes. A thought then hits her. _Maybe I can get him a gift_. Schuyler thought about that option for a moment and wondered if it was inappropriate. She decided it was not because she felt like her and Fen were friends. Schuyler thought about the option some more and decided that maybe it was the right thing to do, and maybe it would help her deal with her feelings about Fen. Maybe help release her from them, because she rationalized in her mind if she gave him a gift for his wedding, that meant she could accept it was really happening.

_But what type of gift could I give him. _She wondered. _Maybe something musical?_ She then goes to google and types in gifts for a musician and looks at the results that pop up.

"Hmm…" Schuyler wonders aloud. She thought about how his wedding was close and how she couldn't get anything shipped in time. But maybe one of the local giftshops in town had something. She goes to one of their websites to see what they might have in store.

_These are some nice guitar picks._ She thinks to herself. And she recalled seeing Fen play guitar before, at least a couple of times. She continues to search for more gifts.

She saw some albums on sales, from some of the latest artists. But she didn't know what music Fen really liked outside of what he sung.

_And he probably already has access to these albums_ she thinks. She continues to look until she notices something.

Oh, that's nice she thinks as she sees a statue. It was of a male musician performing. "I think that Fen would like this." Schuyler says aloud. She looks at the statue and felt that the price was reasonable. _This would be a good gift to get him_. She thinks. She looks at the address of the gift shop and then decides to head out to buy the gift.

The next day Schuyler is looking down at the gift at the front seat. That's when it really dawned on her, that she was at the resort with a gift for Fen.

A nervous feeling fills her stomach and she really wondered if she should be doing this. Fen wasn't expecting her at the wedding. Nor did he invite her. Ana certainly did not invite her.

_Oh, my what I am doing?_, Schuyler wonders. She thought maybe she should turn around and head back home. But she had driven all the way out here to deliver this gift to Fen and she felt if she could give it to him, it would help her move past her feelings for him. She takes a deep breath and thinks a bit more. She knew it would look strange if she strolled into the wedding to hand him the gift. And maybe there was security there, because he was a pop star after all. Schuyler continued to ponder what to do and the uneasy feeling in her stomach grew.

_Maybe I can leave it with someone_. she thought. _Maybe I can leave it at the front desk or something._ She takes a deep breath and then looks towards the front of the resort. She thought for a few moments more and then grabs the box and heads inside. When she gets inside, she sees how lovely the resort is. And also noticed it was rather empty. Even the front desk.

Schuyler wondered where everyone was at. _Maybe they are all at the wedding or reception_. She guesses. She looks around again and takes a deep breath. She waits for a few moments more and then heads to the bathroom to compose herself. The bathroom was also empty. She looks in the mirror at herself and notices how disheveled and nervous she looked. She hadn't slept much the previous night thinking about whether she wanted to give the gift to Fen.

_I am so nervous and I look a mess_. She thinks to myself. She lightly pats her hair. She thinks of trying to fix her looks more, when she hears some voices outside of the restroom. Two people had arrived and were talking to each other. Their voices sounded familiar.

"Yeah, girl, I just wanted to dip in here for a moment and check out my makeup." She hears Ana tell Lily.

"You look beautiful." She hears Lily complimenting Ana. "And I think that Fen definitely thinks so." Lily tells her happily. "With the way he was looking at you especially when you two were dancing and when you said your vows. He is so deeply in love with you Ana."

"Yeah and I feel the same way about him." Ana gushes. Schuyler's eyes widen as she hears the two ladies talking and she panics. She didn't want to walk past them, so she goes into a stall and closes the door. She decides to stay in the stall until the ladies came in and left the bathroom. She hoped they would be quick. Both Ana and Lily enter the restroom.

"This wedding is so lovely." Lily remarks smiling at Ana once again and looking at herself in the mirror. "It reminds me of my weddings to Cane." She sighs deeply. "Oh, what happier times those were." She says nostalgically. She looks at herself in the mirror and a thoughtful expression crosses her face.

"I mean my weddings were some of the best times of my life, along with the birth of my children." She admits to Ana. "Your whole life is right ahead of you and it feels like a fairy tale, and then…" She sighs deeply and she pauses for a moment. "And then well things don't work out like you hoped and…" She looks at Ana and stops herself when she sees the serious expression on the other woman's face. She then reaches over and rubs Ana's arm. "But that's not going to happen to you and Fen. You two love each other and seem committed to one another…" Her voice trails off again. "I shouldn't be bringing up my failed marriages to Cane on your birthday."

Ana shrugs and gives her a smile. "It's okay. I mean I know that marriage isn't always easy, but I really do love Fen and I'm determined to have a happy marriage with him."

"And you will." Lily assures her. "You will." The two women talk some more and then check their hair and makeup.

"So how is everything going with you and Nick?" Ana asks slyly." You too seemed might cozy at the reception."

Lily laughs. "You sound like Mattie." She declares amused. "But no, Nick and I are just friends. I enjoy his company."

"Is that all that it is?" Ana questions raising an eyebrow also amused.

"Yeah, at least for now." Lily says hesitantly.

"For now, you think it might turn into something more?" Ana probes.

"I mean we're just living in the moment for now, taking things one steps at a time as friends." Lily emphasizes. "I'm not ready to jump into another relationship like that and I think neither is Nick." Lily reveals a thoughtful expression coming across her face.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Lily confirms. She then thought back to a conversation that her and Nick had recently. She decided to tell Ana about it.

"Nick and I were actually talking the other night about past relationships and he mentioned he recently got out of an unhealthy situation with a woman."

"Really?" Ana asks. "Anyone we know?" She jokes.

Lily shakes he head. "I don't think so." She says. "It sounded like it wasn't anything serious. It sounded more like some type of fling."

Ana makes a face. "Oh…"

Schuyler tenses up as she's standing in the stall listening to both women's conversation.

"Yeah Nick said he thought that the lady knew they weren't supposed to be serious, and that she flipped out on him…"

Schuyler's feels the uneasiness feeling in her stomach grow as Lily continued.

"He said he decided to end things because he felt that the woman was developing strong feelings for him and he didn't want to lead her on…"

"Well, that's the right thing to do." Ana interjects.

"But she insulted him and ended up breaking a vase in his own home."

Schuyler feels her stomach sinks as she realized they were talking about her.

"Yikes." Ana says her eyes widening. "But Nick should know better than to mess around like that…"

"Yeah, I know." Lily agrees. "But he's still been going through a dark place, especially after losing custody of Christian and his life was spiraling a bit." She nods. "I don't agree with it, but I do understand what happened." She pauses and then continues.

"Yeah, Nick said he ran into the woman a few times since then, and she's still really bitter." Lily then lets out a light laugh. "It almost sounds like he's afraid of her."

"Maybe he should be." Ana muses. "Maybe she's the type of woman that would go fatal attraction on her man. You know those types of crazies out there." Ana reminds her. A relieved look then crosses her face. "I'm grateful more of those types haven't been after Fen." She states gratefully. "Especially since he's become more famous." She shakes her head. "I couldn't stand the thought of one of those weirdos coming after my man, you know?" She gives Lily a knowing look.

Lily nods. "Those types are the worst; they are just women that for whatever reason can't get a grip on reality." Lily sighs. "I feel sorry for them. They honestly need help."

Schuyler finds herself getting angry as she listens to Lily and Ana's conversation. _How dare these two women talk about me like that?_ She thinks to herself furious. _They have some nerve with their privileged lives._ Schuyler resented them for it. _Really_ resented them. She _hated_ them. They were rich good-looking women who had handsome rich men eating out of the palm of their hands and it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that they could live the types of lives that Schuyler dreamed of while she was constantly being mistreated and dumped by men. And now here she was hiding out in a bathroom stall in the resort, buying a gift for one of their husband's.

Tears started to well up in Schuyler's eyes as she thought about what was happening and how pathetic this situation was. She took a deep breath and felt like storming out of the stall and confronting the both of them. But she didn't want to seem unhinged. She took another deep breath and looked down at the statue in her hand. She decided to try and wait things out in the stall and hoped they would leave quickly.

The ladies talk for a bit more and then Ana decides to head back to the reception.

"Okay, I will see you back on the dance floor." She tells Lily smiling. "I want to get a couple more spins in with Fen, before the reception is over."

"And you retire to that honeymoon suite." Lily teases her. "I know he's waiting on something else." She says laughing.

Ana gives Lily a knowing look and then bursts out laughing. "He was talking about that in the hallway when the other guests were around." Ana reveals. "I was like boy if you don't stop, the preacher is standing nearby and so were our parents."

"Well, it is your wedding night." Lily reminds her. "And he's going to keep your busy tonight and all throughout the honeymoon." Lily thinks back to her own marriages to Cane. "And for a while after that…. Especially during this newlywed stage. Enjoy it as much as you can." Lily encourages her.

Ana smiles. "Oh, yeah I definitely will." Ana promises her. The two women look at each other and laugh. "But I also plan to do some other fun stuff with him on our honeymoon. We want to start filling up that scrapbook Mattie gave us."

Schuyler continues to find herself getting angrier as she listened to the two women talk. _Now they are talking about Ana getting it on with Fen!_. Schuyler things angrily. She thought about Ana enjoying making love to Fen and it made her blood boil. _This is disgusting_! She thinks angrily.

"Okay, I do need to get on back to the reception." Ana states again. "My new husband is probably missing me." She sighs happily. "I can't believe we're really married, and I have a husband now."

"Believe it." Lily tells her smiling. "I'm just going to freshen up a bit more." She tells Ana. "And then I will join you."

"Okay, are you sure don't want me to stay with you?" Ana asks jokingly. "In case Nick's crazy obsessed ex, shows up." She jokes.

Lily laughs. "No I'll be fine. You get back to your husband." She pauses and then continues. "And I hope that lady isn't here." She jokes. "If so, she really is a loon." The two women laugh again, and Schuyler's blood continues to boil. Things then become quiet and she waits a few more minutes inside the stall. When she thinks it's safe, she opens the door and steps out. She is surprised to see Lily bent down to the side picking up some lipstick and other items that have fallen out of her purse. Lily gathers up her stuff and stands straight up, her back toward Schuyler and away from the mirror. Schuyler glares at her angrily, thinking about how privileged she looked while she's looking down in her purse. Lily and Ana's conversation flashes through her mind and she becomes more enraged. The rage consumes her and before she knows it, she's picking up the statue she bought for Fen and hitting Lily hard with it on her head.

"_OWW_!" Lily lets out a sound before she falls to the ground, knocked unconscious. Her purse falls out of her hands and some of the items fall out again. Blood is also gushing from her head.

"Take that, you lucky, undeserving witch!" Schuyler finds herself saying out loud as Lily lay unconscious and bleeding. "Who's crazy now!" She exclaims. It then hits Schuyler what she has done, and she's horrified.

"Oh… I did not just do that!" She says aloud. She looks around scared and then back on the ground at Lily who continues to lay knocked out.

She contemplates going over to Lily to check on her, but an even scarier feeling overtakes her.

_I can't help her._ Schuyler thinks to herself. _If I do someone may come in here and catch me and wonder what happened. And I could go to jail. _Schuyler panics, glances at Lily one more time and then decides to leave the bathroom. She glances around quickly as she exits thankful that no one seemed to be around. She rushes out of the lobby using her arm to open the door and heads out of the resort towards the car. She opens the car door quickly and throws the statue inside, the statue stained with Lily's blood. Schuyler takes a deep breath and then drives off quickly, hoping that no one heard or saw what had happened.


	32. The Aftermath of Second Breaking Point

**The Aftermath of the Second Breaking Point**

"There is my beautiful bride." Fen says grabbing Ana by the waist and kissing her as he sees her on the dance floor.

"I thought you had left me." He teases her.

Ana makes a face. "No, I'm still here. I'm still yours." She looks into his eyes and smiles.

"Good, because I don't want to lose you." Fen says looking into her eyes. They smile at each other and they kiss again, this time a bit longer.

"Ooh, Babe." Ana says putting her hand on his face. "When you kiss like that…"

"Is it time for this shindig, to be over yet, because I want to take you upstairs and…" Fen begins.

"Fen!" Ana exclaims aloud. "We have to wait until this reception is over." She reminds him again.

"Well, is about to be over?" He asks. He takes her hand and kisses it. "You know what I want."

Ana eyes widens and then she laughs again. "Fen, behave." She cautions him laughing.

"Is that going to be a theme in our marriage, you telling me to behave?" Fen jokes.

"Maybe, if you say stuff in public that maybe you shouldn't." Ana teases him.

"Like I said I can't help how, I feel. I'm in love."

Ana reaches out and caresses his face. "Yeah me too." They gaze into each other's eyes and then talk for a little bit more. While they are talking Mattie comes up to them.

"Hey guys, have you seen Mom?" Mattie asks.

Fen looks at Ana. "Didn't she head with you to the ladies room's a few minutes ago?" He asks.

Ana nods and looks around for Lily. "Yeah she did. She said she just needed to freshen up a bit and she would be right behind me, but…" Ana looks around again. "I don't see her."

Mattie nods. "Yeah, I don't see her. Hmmm..."

"Maybe she had to take a call or something?" Ana suggests.

"Maybe. Okay." Mattie touches Ana's arm. "She should show up shortly." Mattie guesses. "And I think I will take a trip to the ladies' room as well." Mattie inform Ana and Fen. She smiles at them and heads to the ladies bathroom. She opens the door and steps inside and gasps when she sees Lily. Lily was still unconscious.

"Mom!" Mattie exclaims as she sees her mother knocked out and bleeding. She touches her hair and her face trying to see if she would awaken. Mom wake up!" She exclaims but Lily still doesn't come to.

"Mom what happened?" She asks. Mattie starts to panic even more and looks around. "Help!" She yells. She then remembers that Nate and Elena are at the wedding and rushes to get them.

"Help!" She cries out as she runs into the ballroom. She runs over to Nate who was talking to a guest.

"Nate!" She exclaims running to him.

"Mattie, what's wrong?" Nate asks concerned noticing how scared his young cousin looked.

"It's mom, she's laid out in the bathroom. I think she hit her head, or someone hit or her something. But she's unconscious and she's bleeding!" Mattie informs him.

Elena is nearby and overhears. Her and Nate look at each other. "Okay, take me to her." Nate says.

"I'm coming too." Elena interjects and the three rush off together.

Fen and Ana see them from across the room and wonder what is going on. "What is that about?" Ana wonders.

Fen shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know." He says also concerned. Ana looks at Fen. "I'm going to go see what's going on." She tells him.

"I will go with you." He offers. They head off with each other and sees the other three racing toward the bathroom.

"Whoa! Nate says when he sees Lily laid out. He immediately starts to attend to her, with Elena by his side.

Nate examines her quickly. "It looked like she was knocked in the head with something."

"It definitely looks like she was hit with a blunt object." Elena observes. They continue to attend to Lily and Nate calls 911 reporting what happened.

"Lily!" Ana exclaims shocked at seeing her laid out. She looks at Fen scared. "I don't know what happened. I was just talking to her. She was fine when I left her!" She exclaims worried.

Fen wraps his arm around her and pulls her close to him. "It's going to be okay." He promises her. "She's in good hands." He sees Mattie looking scared and also puts his arm around her. "It's going to be okay." He assures her. The paramedics show up and word spreads what has happened to Lily. They put her on the stretcher and Nate/Elena decide to ride with them to the hospital.

"What happened to mom!" Charlie exclaims as the news gets to him. Nick also shows up. "What happened?" He asks looking at everyone.

"Looks like Lily was hit in the head with something." Nate informs him. "She's suffered some trauma and is unconsciousness, but we're going to get her to the hospital and make sure she's taken care of."

"We're going too!" Mattie proclaims scared.

"Yeah, we're not going to leave mom." Charlie declares.

Nate nods understanding. "Okay, Elena and I were going to ride in the ambulance and you two…"

"I can drive them." Nick offers. "I will follow you guys." He puts his arms around the twins. "It's going to be alright guys. They all then head off.

Ana turns to Fen and puts her hand over her face, shaking. "Maybe we should follow them too." She says looking at him. "I don't understand how this happened, I don't… I was just with her, Fen…" She says tears welling up in her eyes.

Fen pulls her close to him. "I know." He tells her. "I don't know what happened either, but we will get to the bottom of it." He promises her. Devon then arrives, and he's informed of what's going on.

"I'm going to head off to the hospital." He says.

He then heads off to the hospital, while the nanny stays with Tommy. Ana and Fen look at each other worried and then Sophia, Jett and Harmony show up.

"We heard." Jett says. "You alright baby?" Harmony asks her.

"I'm shaken up." Ana admits to her. Harmony hugs her daughter and Jet puts his arms around the both of them.

"I don't even know what to do." Ana admits. "I feel like we should just head over too, but we still have the rest of the guests…"

"Well." Sophia interjects. "The reception is almost over. Maybe you can wrap up things up and thank everyone for coming." Sophia suggests. "Or I could do it." Sophia offers. "And then once we get that squared away, we can head over to the hospital too."

Ana nods. "Thank you, but I guess, I will help end the reception. It is my wedding after all."

"I will help you babe." Fen says. They walk away and end up wrapping up their reception. The guests are understanding and grateful for the good time and many of them send their well wishes for Lily. Then, Ana, Fen, Sophia, Jett and Harmony also head over to the hospital. On the drive there, Ana continues to feel shaken up and also a bit guilty. She felt guilty for leaving Lily in the bathroom by herself and guilty that she was occupied about thinking about her wedding night when Lily was being attacked. Fen looks over at his wife and is a bit concerned. He reaches out and squeezes her hand and she's look at him and squeezes it back sighing.

They head to the hospital where they are greeted by everyone.

"How is she?" Ana asks concerned.

"Elena and I talked to the doctor." Nate informs her. "Lily is still unconscious."

"That's bad." Ana says worried. "I mean usually people get knocked out, it's only for a few minutes. Lily has been unconscious at least over an hour now." She looks at Nate and Elena worried. "How long can she be like this; I mean how long can she go like this before..."

"An unconscious state after a head trauma can last anywhere from a few minutes to sometimes a few hours." Elena interjects. "The doctors have gotten Lily stabilized and are monitoring her situation."

Nate then gives Ana and everyone a serious look. "There was some swelling in Lily's brain…" Nate tells her…

"Oh, my…" Ana exclaims, a very scared expression on her face.

"But that can be normal." Elena adds trying to calm her. "Sometimes after injuries some swelling does happen, but it can go down."

"And if it doesn't?" Jett asks concerned.

"Then the doctors will do everything they can to help her." Nate informs him. "But she is in good hands." He assures everyone. "This is one of the best hospitals in the state". He informs them. "We are fortunate that it wasn't too far from the resort." He puts his hands together. "Right now, the doctors are monitoring things and see if she will gain consciousness, within the next few hours." He informs them. "The next few hours are going to be critical." He informs them. "Unconsciousness beyond six hours could be an indicator of a very severe injury."

"Could mom go into a coma?" Charlie asks.

Nate sighs. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that." He says. He goes over and puts his hand on Charlie's shoulder. "But rest assured Charlie, the doctors will do everything to help your mother."

"And I won't spare any expense to help her." Devon promises Charlie and Mattie. "I promise you that." He then frowns deeply. "But I just don't understand how this happened. I mean the doctor says it looks like Lily was hit with something… I mean, who would do this… We've got to get to the bottom of this."

"Yes, everything will sort itself out son." Jett says trying to calm everyone. "Though, right now the most important thing is to be there for Lily." Devon nods and puts his arms around Charlie and Mattie.

Ana takes a breath very upset by what has happened. She couldn't believe that this had happened. This morning she had gotten up very excited for her wedding and now here she was hoping and praying that Lily didn't slip into a coma, or worse. Fen sees how upset his wife is and tries to comfort her.

"Are you okay, Ana?" He asks putting his hands on her shoulders.

She shakes her head. "I'm scared Fen." She confesses to him. "And I feel so guilty, I mean I left her. I should have stayed with her."

"You didn't know some creep was hanging around with something ready to bash her over the head with." Fen says trying to comfort her. He then rubs her arms. "I hate that this happened to Lily, and I hope they catch who did it." He then closes his eyes for a moment realizing something. "And I think goodness, they didn't hurt or target you." He kisses her forehead. "Like I said if something ever happened to you…" He hugs her. They hug for a bit more and then Fen pulls away. "I'm going to go get some coffee." He informs her. "You want something?"

Ana shakes her head. "Not right now." She tells him. He nods and goes and gets the drink.

Sophia comes over to Ana and looks at her with concern. "Maybe you should have taken that coffee. You still look a bit shaken up." She tells her.

Ana sighs. "I can't help it, Sophia." She explains. "Someone attacked Lily at my wedding. I mean I was just talking to her; we were joking about Fen and mine's Wedding night…" Her voice trails off as Sophia listens to her. "And then she said she needed to freshen up a bit more and I left her…" She looks up at Sophia a sad and guilty expression on her face. "I shouldn't have left her." She bemoans.

"I should have stayed with her. Especially since Fen is a celebrity and maybe it was a crazy fan that wanted to get close to him or something." Ana sighs deeply getting more upset. "Maybe we should have beefed up security more at this wedding, considering how famous he's gotten." She shakes her head. "Maybe I should have been more concerned about those things instead of laughing & joking about getting away to have romantic time with Fen, when Lily was getting her head bashed in…" Ana shakes her head upset with herself. "That's where my mind was." She confesses upset with herself. "I was putting my love life above her safety and I feel so…"

"Hold up." Sophia says holding up her hand. "Now that's what you're not going to do." She cautions Ana.

"What do you mean?" Ana asks upset.

"I'm not about to let you sit up here and blame yourself for what happened to Lily." Sophia responds to her. "No ma'am." She shakes her head. "You're not going to do that."

"But Sophia…"

"Girl, no." Sophia states firmly. She then reaches out and touches Ana arm. "You did nothing wrong, Ana." She assures her. "It's your wedding today, you should have been thinking about spending time with your own husband." Sophia then gives her a look. "And I would have been concerned if you weren't." She jokes.

"Sophia…"

"You did nothing wrong." Sophia repeats. "You had no idea some looney tune would attack Lily. No one did." She surmises.

"But I just."

"Not your fault." Sophia repeats. "And Lily would not want you blaming yourself. You know that." Ana nods as she thinks about Sophia's words.

"And neither would your husband." Sophia says as Fen approaches them with two cups of coffee in his hand.

"I know you said, you didn't want any coffee, but I know that when you get nervous, you like to have it." Fen says handing Ana a cup. "And I put extra cream in it, just the way you like it." He tells her.

Ana nods and then gives him a weary smile. "Yes, I actually could use the coffee." She tells him gratefully.

"Right, I know what you need." He tells her. They smile at each other for a moment and then a somber look returns to Ana face and they go sit down in the waiting area with the rest of their family.

"Dad says he's jumping on a flight now." Charlie says reading a text from Cane.

"I told him we don't know just how serious mom's condition is yet, but he insists, he's coming." Charlie tells everyone. Everyone talks for a bit more and continues to wait on news on Lily. Things become quiet and that hangs over the room. Sophia then makes a suggestion.

"I think we should pray for Lily." She tells him everyone. She looks around the room. "Who is with me?" She asks. Everyone nods and stands up and grabs each other's hands. Sophia leads them in prayer.

"And as they say heavenly father no weapon formed against us shall prosper and we pray that Lily makes a full recovery, lord Jesus…" She says during the prayer and then continues.

"Amen!" Everyone says when she is done, and they sit down continuing to wait on news about Lily.


	33. The Honeymoon-Relief, Relaxing Romancing

**The Honeymoon-Relief, Relaxing and Romancing**

Ana looks across the water and takes a deep breath. It was very calming being outside and enjoying all of the beautiful scenery. After what had happened it felt good to just stand still for a moment and decompress and take everything in. She had been a little hesitant to come here at first after what had happened. But now looking around and really taking everything in, she was glad she did. What had happened to Lily had really shaken her up and she had needed a few days to settle down from that. But now here she was in this place, feeling better and being happy that she was with…

"Hey, Babe!" Fen says running towards her. She looks at him and smiles, and then starts to run away from him.

"Come here!" He says.

"You have to catch me first." She teases him.

Fen makes a face. "Really." He says and then he chases after. He catches up to her, and throws her over his shoulders, resting his hand on her bottom.

"I got you." He says smiling.

Ana laughs and rests her hands on his back.

"The view up here is not so bad." She observes smiling and looking around at the beach. They were in Greece for their honeymoon and were spending time on one of the more beaches there enjoying themselves. Fen had on some swim trunks and Ana was wearing a green bikini.

"You want me to put you down now?" Fen asks. "Or carry you around like this." He jokes.

"I guess you can put me down." She says.

"Will do." He gently places her on her feet, and they smile at each other. He wraps his arms around her waist.

"The view from down here isn't so bad either." He says smiling at her.

"Un-huh." Ana says with her arms wrapped around his neck. She glances around the beach again. "This is so nice." She exclaims happily.

"Yes, it is." Fen agrees.

She looks around the beach and smiles and takes a deep breath. She closes her eyes and hangs onto him for a bit longer.

"I mean after everything that went down with the wedding and being worried sick about Lily…" Her voice trails off as she looks into Fen's eyes giving him a serious look.

"I mean it's so nice to finally be able to relax and catch my breath after what happened…"

"At the wedding." Fen finishes for her.

He gently rubs her shoulders. "Yes, that was a doozy." He remarks gently caressing her shoulders. "But she's doing better now. The doctor says she will be fine and make a good recovery."

"And I am relieved about that." Ana expresses gratefully. The night that Lily was taken to the hospital she ended up waking up. It was a few hours after Sophia had led everyone in prayer. The doctors said that she took a hard hit, but that the swelling had went down in her brain and that she was expected to make a good recovery. She had a big headache, and some wounds, and the doctors advised her to take it easy. They decided to keep her for a bit at the hospital for observation, and she was prescribed some medication. But they predicted that she would be alright.

Though, Lily also couldn't remember what happened to her and had no idea who had hit her. Ana had been so grateful, but also still very shaken up and scared about what had happened. She ended up staying at the hospital overnight with Fen, and had been worried for a few days after, while Lily recovered. It had a put a big damper on her and Fen's plans, she had some trouble sleeping as she was worried about who had attacked Lily. And she wasn't in the mood to do much of anything. Including having romantic time with Fen and also going on their honeymoon. Fen had understood his wife's fears and was patient with, her, though also disappointed that their plans were put on hold. But finally, after talking more with Lily and checking with the doctors Ana decided to take her honeymoon trip with Fen.

Ana shakes her head as she flashes back to what had happened to Lily again and her being at the hospital. "I'm still stunned by what happened, I still want to know what happened."

"I know." Fen tells her rubbing her shoulders. "And we will find out." He promises her. "The Police are investigating it; we will get to the bottom of what happened to her."

"I mean I wonder who did it." Ana ponders as worry washes over her again.

"I mean was this some random attack by a crazy person or was Lily targeted?" She questions looking at Fen. "What if someone has targeted her, or what is someone was targeting someone else. What if it was a crazy fan of yours?" Ana questions.

Fen frowns. "Well, I've had my share of overzealous fans, but never have any of them tried to hurt me. Or anyone I care about. And certainly not in a lady's restroom." He states.

"But what if it was someone who wanted to hurt someone close to you…"

"Like someone in my family, which could be why they went after Lily?" Fen guesses.

"Or maybe they were after someone else... like me?" Ana guesses and she becomes even more worried.

"But why would they attack Lily. I don't see how they could mistake you for her…" Fen muses.

"Okay, well what if they attacked her for another reason?" Ana speculates. "What if it was, I don't know... racially motivated?"

Fen frowns when she suggests that. "Racially motivated?" He questions.

Ana makes a face and shrugs. "I don't know maybe." She looks at Fen with a worried look on her face. "I don't know, what if it was." She searches Fen's face waiting on his reaction to that.

"Whoa." Fen says thinking about the seriousness of her suggestion.

"You don't think that I am crazy for wondering that, do you?" Ana asks.

Fen shakes his head. "No, of course not, Ana." Fen says stepping closer to her.

"Of course not." He assures her. "I just I don't..., I mean it's possible…" He speculates. "But Ana I definitely hope that wasn't the case."

"I know that may sound out of left field, but you can never tell in this day and age." Ana reminds him. "And the attack on Lily seem so random. I mean she hasn't done anything to anyone." Ana says still trying to process what had happened.

"Maybe it was a crazy racist who wanted to attack her. Or even a crazy racist that's mad that you and I are together. There are people out there who don't like the idea of a couple like us being together." Ana tells him.

Fen nods. "I know there are crazy people out there and racist people, but I don't care what of any of those type of people say or think. I love you and you're the woman I've chosen to be with for the rest of my life." He tells her firmly. "They can't stop that. And I will stand up to anyone when it comes to stuff like that and my love for you." He rests his hands on her shoulders and looks into her eyes and gives her a serious look. Then he smiles.

Ana nods and smiles. "I know Fen, but I just wonder if something like that played a role in it, because it just feels so random and I think there has to be a reason behind it." She pauses and thinks some more. "Or maybe if it's not a racist it's a crazed fan of yours, or…."

"Whoever it is, we will get to the bottom of it. The police are on it and Devon has people on it. We'll catch who did this to Lily and they will pay." He promises her.

"I hope so." Ana replies a bit uncertain. "That person needs to be caught and locked up."

"We'll catch them…. And in the meantime, I will protect you." He promises her. "I would do anything to protect you, you know that right?" He asks looking at her.

Ana looks at him and smiles. "I would do the same for you."

Fen nods and then looks around the beach again. "So… now that we've established, we would fight for the death for each other, let's get back to having some fun." He jokes. He looks her up and down and grins at the sight of her.

"Things got hectic for a minute there. But Lily's better, things are going to be okay. And we are going to have fun. And do all of the stuff, we've should be doing as a newly married couple on their honeymoon." He wraps his arms around her waist and looks into her eyes.

"Deal?" He declares.

"Deal." Ana agrees. They laugh and continue to enjoy their time on the beach for a while longer. They then decide to head back to their suite at the luxury resort.

"Today has been great." Ana declares as they get inside their suite.

"Beautiful weather, this area is so beautiful." She says happily. "I knew that Greece was a great place for us to honeymoon."

"You're right about that." Fen agrees smiling at her.

"The food is great; Breakfast and lunch was delicious." She continues as Fen continues to watch her smiling slyly. "The menu from this resort is fantastic." She looks at him. "You know it's crafted by Michelin chefs."

"So, you told me…" He tells her.

"And there is so much we can do here, I have a list of all of the stuff I want us to do." Ana tells him. "I know we probably can't do them all, but there is a lot of fun activities we can do on these islands,

"Like see some important landmarks and go to some of the museums and I've already mentioned the food here, they've got some food tours, that I want to try."

Fen laughs. "I know you love to eat…"

"And we can get on a yacht." Ana goes on. "The sky's the limit here, Devon said we can do what we want on our honeymoon, and I'm going to take my big brother up on his very generous offer." Ana says laughing.

"That's great, and we have some time here where we will do a lot of that stuff." Fen promises her. "We're going to do a lot of fun activities; I promise you that."

"Good, because I want to have lots of fun. _With my man_." Ana touches his face as she sings out the last sentence and Fen laughs. He kisses her and she returns his kiss. They start to kiss more intently and then Fen pulls away and looks at her slyly.

"You know wifey." He tells her. "There is one fun activity, that we really haven't gotten around to, due to all of the chaos during the wedding. And because you haven't understandably been able to relax and unwind until really today."

Ana raises her eyebrows. "Un-huh." She says rubbing her hand on his chest. "And what would this fun activity be?" She says looking into his eyes teasingly.

"You know." He growls and they kiss again. Ana pulls apart for him from a moment and gives him a knowing look. "I know. And I agree it's time for us to enjoy that." She then remembers something. "Oh, but I forgot to pack my lingerie that Abby bought for me to wear for you. Including my wedding lingerie." A thoughtful look comes across her face. "I had forgot to bring it in all of the chaos that has happened."

"That doesn't matter babe." Fen brushes that off. "You can wear that for me some other time. It's going to end up on the ground anyways." He tells her.

Ana laughs at his bluntness. She kisses him again and they kiss passionately, wrapping their arms around each other. Fen then buries his face in her neck, kissing it. She smiles happily as he does this. Fen then starts to fiddle with the straps of Ana's bikini bra top and kisses her neck, and shoulders and chest. He pulls the strings of her bikini top completely loose, and her top falls to the ground.

After this happens Fen looks at her and grins. He grabs her around the waist and pulls her tightly to him, holding her and pressing her body close to his. Their hearts beat faster as her body melts into his and her bosom presses against his chest. He holds her tightly for a moment and then continues to kiss and caress her body all over, especially her face, neck, and bosom. He peppers her body with kisses and continues to gently caress her. Ana sighs happily, enjoying his kisses and touch. She holds onto him tightly and kisses him back.

"_Oh, Fen_." She says enjoying the tenderness from her husband. She rubs the back of his head and neck with her hand. She then nuzzles against him and rubs his back. They continue to kiss.

Fen pulls back for a moment and looks at her again, giving her a big smile. He then scoops her into his arms, and she continues to wrap her arms around him as he carries and kisses her as they head to the bedroom. He lays her down gently on the bed and he runs his hand up her legs and thighs. He reaches down and slips off her bikini bottom, continuing to kiss and caress her body. While doing this he stops for a moment and takes a moment to admire at his wife and her body in her full and complete beauty. She then takes off his swim trunks and does the same. After both are fully undressed, they smile at each other and wrap their arms around each other tightly continuing to kiss passionately. They make passionate and also tender love to each other, each giving themselves fully to the other one as they express their love to each other physically.

After they make love, they cuddle underneath the sheets in the bed. Fen holding Ana tightly to him. He showers her again with kisses, including her shoulders face and shoulders and chest. Then they talk for a bit.

"This has got to be the happiest time of my life." Fen says squeezing her close to him.

"Mines too." Ana says running her fingers over his chest. She runs her fingers over his abs tracing them. She kisses his chest and then his lips. "Mine too." She repeats holding onto him.

"And this is exactly where I want to be." She says snuggling up to him and smiling.

"It's where you belong." He says kissing her again. Ana sighs happily as she enjoys being with her husband, the events from the last few days pushed to the back of her mind as she enjoys lying with him and being in love and at peace in that moment.


	34. The Honeymoon-More Romancing & Relaxing

**The Honeymoon-More Romancing and Relaxing**

Ana wakes up in the night and sighs happily when she sees Fen lying beside her, and still feels Fen's arms around her. She caresses his face and he awakens for a moment and looks at her and smiles. He kisses her and she continues to snuggle up to him. They both close their eyes and end up going back to sleep. A few hours later she awakes again to see that Fen is gone. Ana looks sits up in bed, clutching the sheets around her and wonder where he's gone. A few moments later he arrives dressed with his hand behind his back.

"What are up to?" She asks looking at him smiling. "And why are you not still in bed?"

"Have you turned into an early bird on me…?" Ana teases him. She looks at him again. "And what's behind your back?" She then looks around. "What time is it?"

"So many questions wifey..." Fen remarks laughing.

Ana reaches over on the nightstand and looks at her cell phone to see what time it was. Her eyes widen when she sees the time. "11:25!" She exclaims. "I've slept almost half the day." She turns around and looks at Fen. "Why would you let me sleep that late?"

Fen shakes his head and then laughs again.

"Fen, you let me hibernate." Ana accuses him playfully.

He shakes his head. "You were knocked out." He then gives her a cheeky grin. "Which I take a lot for credit for after yesterday..."

Ana turns her head to the side as she is sitting up in the bed, still holding the sheets to her body.

"_Fen_…." She says. She then bursts out laughing.

He laughs as well.

"But on a more a serious note after what happened to Lily at the wedding and these past few days… I knew you needed your rest." He tells her.

"It's like you always tell me _Fen, I need my beauty sleep_." He says imitating her voice. "So, I let you have it."

Ana makes a face. "I don't sound like that…" She protests.

"Yeah, you do." Fen replies. "And I wanted you to rest and just relax and feel like everything is going to be okay. And it is."

After he says that a somber and appreciative look comes across Ana's face. She smiles at him. "Yeah, you're right…" She agrees.

He then takes his hand from behind his back and gives her a rose.

"For you."

"Fen…" Ana says, looking at him and smiling again. She takes the rose. "Thank you." Fen then pulls a chair close to the bed to sit down. After she smells her flower, he leans over and kisses her. They kiss for a moment and Ana rests her hand on his face. They then pull away a little and Fen takes a some moments to admire her. She was so beautiful. He runs his hand along her neck and neckline. He then caresses her lips with his fingers as they look into each other eyes. He kisses her lips again for a moment and continues to admire her. _So beautiful and sexy_. He thinks to himself.

He was so tempted to climb back into bed with her and make love to her again, but after hearing her not seem that pleased about sleeping very late, he figured she would want to get up and do something else. He knew she had wanted to get out and sight see and do some fun activities in Greece. As much as he would enjoy making love to her again, that would set back her plans of doing other stuff. And he was not going to do that quickly with her. He thought that she probably wanted to get out of bed. And they would have time for more of that type of romance later on, during this honeymoon and beyond. But if she said the word, they could continue what they had going on last night. Fen finds himself smiling at the thought of that and Ana notices his expression and wonders what he's thinking.

"What are you thinking?" She asks looking at him. She touches his face. "You've got this sly smile on your face and..." A thought hits her. "_Oh_, I know what you're thinking." She rubs her hand on his shoulder. She laughs. "You amused by how long I've stayed in this bed and slept in this morning. You want me to get out of this bed." She guesses.

"Uh..." Fen begins. "Well...not..."

Ana nods interjecting. "Yeah, you do." She says thinking her guess was right. "That's why you jumped out of bed this morning and are fully dressed." She surmises. "I'm holding up on this day aren't I?" She asks. She sighs. "And it really is late." She then smiles. "You're right, I need to get out of this bed. It's the best thing to do right now. And let's get this day going, there is a lot of stuff that I want to do today like some sightseeing." She shakes her head. "I do apologize for being Rip Van Winkle." She laughs.

Fen looks at her a bit disappointed that was the conclusion she had come to.

"No, Ana don't apologize, you needed your rest and I..."

"But it's time to get up now." Ana interjects. "You don't have to say it. I get it. I've been holding you up long enough." She expresses. "Have you just been waiting on me to wake up?" She asks him.

Fen shakes his head. He then decides to tell her some about what he had been up to while she had been sleeping.

"After I decided to get up and let you sleep, I decided to arrange for a couple of deliveries." He tells her.

"Deliveries?" Ana asks looking down at the flower and holding it to her nose.

"Yeah." Fen confirms.

Ana's eyes brighten up even more when he mentions this. "Deliveries? Like the surprise I overhead you and Xavier talking about at the wedding?" She questions him.

A thoughtful look comes across Fen's face. "You heard…?"

"I heard you telling Xavier about some big surprise you had for me." Ana admits to him. "I didn't hear what it was, but I wonder are you going to give it to me today."

An amused smile comes across Fen's face. "So, you were eavesdropping?" He asks a bit amused.

Ana shrugs. "Yeah, and I want my surprise!" She exclaims excitedly.

Fen laughs. "Well, you're not going to get that today." He reveals to her. "I can't give that to you right now."

A disappointed look comes across Ana's face. "Why not?" She asks.

He shakes his head. "I'm don't have it with me. It's back in Genoa City." He states in a matter of fact manner.

Ana makes a face. "Really?" She asks a bit skeptical.

Ana searches his face for clues to see if he was bluffing. "Okay." She replies.

"You don't believe me?" Fen asks.

Ana makes a face and then smiles. "I wonder if you're bluffing and you'll give me that surprise while we're on this honeymoon." She predicts optimistically.

Fen shakes his head. "Nah, babe, it really is back in Genoa City." He tells her truthfully.

"Oh." Ana responds disappointingly after realizing he was really telling the truth and not teasing her.

"Okay, well, what deliveries are you getting today?" She questions. Just then someone knocks at the door.

Fen gives her a smile. "I'll be back." He tells her.

A curious look comes across Ana's face. She waits for a minute or so and then looks at the time again.

It really was getting late. She decides to get out of bed. She looks around and finds one of Fen's dress shirts and decides to put it on.

She walks around the bedroom and waits a few more minutes and then decides to slightly crack open the door.

"Hey Fen?" She calls out. "Is anybody out there besides you?"

"No…" Fen calls back. "It's just me… I was just…"

"Good." Ana says laughing."Because I'm not dressed very decently." She says laughing stepping out in his shirt. "But I decided to finally get out of bed, before I sleep this honeymoon away." Fen turns around and looks at her grinning when he sees her wearing his shirt.

"Oh, this is a great spread…" Ana comments smiling at the layout of food that Fen was setting up in the kitchen area. It was a variety of delicious Mediterranean foods.

"I figured you would be hungry, since you slept _forever_." Fen teases her. "So, I decided to order up some food for you to have when you woke up."

"I'm glad you did." Ana tells him gratefully. "Because I am very hungry. I actually haven't eaten much in the past few days, being so worried about Lily and all."

Fen nods. "Yeah, I know, but you can feast now."

"Yeah." Ana smiles at him and they sit down together and begin to eat.

"Try this, Ana." Fen instructs pushing a plate towards her.

Ana makes a face, when sees what it is. "Oh, no Fen, I don't want that." She tells him looking down at the octopus and frowning.

"It's delicious and different." Fen tells her. "I tried it one time with my parents on vacation and I've liked it since." He confesses to her.

"Uh no thanks." Ana says again. "That's not my thing."

"How do you know if you don't try it?" Fen teases.

"I _do_ know." Ana says. They look at each other and laugh.

"You don't know what you are missing…." Fen responds. They continue to eat, enjoying the food and each other's company.

Afterwards they clear their dishes and throw away their trash, and Ana notices something else in the room.

"Is that another one of your deliveries?" Ana ask looking down at the guitar in the room.

"Yeah, I got that delivered here." Fen confirms. "I felt like playing some music, I'm feeling very inspired right now." He looks at her and his smile widens.

"I may not play anything right now, because I know you have a lot of things you want to do and see why we're here, but maybe later on during some of the nights here, I'll do some playing and singing."

"If it doesn't bother you." He jokes. "I know my voice isn't as good as yours."

Ana looks at him and shakes her head amused. "Don't be silly Fen. Of course not." She looks at the guitar again. "It's pretty." She admires and then touches the blue guitar. "I love this color." She raves. She looks at Fen and then crosses her arms. "Fen, you always somehow manage to get a hold of the prettiest things."

After she makes that statement Fen looks her up and down admiringly as she's standing there.

"Yes, I do." He boasts. "One of the few things I'm good at." He then picks up the guitar and puts the strap around him. He then heads over to a couch in the area and Ana follows him. He sits on the couch and she sits down next to him. He starts strumming the guitar, humming and thinking.

"Like I said." He says looking at her. "I feel inspired right now and I still felt like singing some music, even here in Greece." He then becomes thoughtful. "Especially here in Greece." He states firmly. "A beautiful place, with the woman that I love and…."

A thought then hits Ana and she leans forward and grabs his arm. "_Oh_, that's your surprise for me." She says thinking she's figured it out.

"What's that babe?" Fen asks.

"Another song." Ana guesses. "You've written another song for me. _Awww_, Fen." She gushes. "That is pretty romantic. A new love song to celebrate our marriage."

A look comes across Fen's face. "Uhh…. Well not exactly." He confesses honestly. "I mean I am inspired by you, and no doubt something like that is definitely coming." He promises her. "You're definitely my inspiration for my love songs." He tells her candidly. "But I haven't written a new love song for you yet." He then shakes his head. "And that's actually not my surprise Ana."

"Really?" Ana asks a bit disappointed. "Oh… okay, well okay."

Fen looks at her and can't help but laugh. He was amused that she was still trying to guess his surprise for her.

"You're just going to keep guessing until we get back to town, aren't you?" He questions.

Ana shrugs. "Maybe." She then rubs her hand on his arm. "You do give good surprises." She admits. "It's one of the reasons why I married you." She jokes.

"Un-huh." Fen nods and laughs again. "Yeah…okay, but you're going to have wait a bit longer for this one, Ana."

"Really?" Ana looks at him and gives him a pouting face.

"Yes, really." Fen reaffirms. "And don't look at me like that, you don't show me any mercy when you give me that look."

"This look?" Ana asks continuing to give him that look.

Fen rolls his eyes. "Yes, _that_ look, don't look at me like that." He cautions. "I have a hard time saying no to that look. And I really want you to be completely surprised about my surprise." He then reaches over and rubs the upper part of her leg, giving it a squeeze. "You're going to have to wait."

Ana sighs after her attempt to get the secret out of him didn't work. "Okay." She says. "Okay." She repeats lightheartedly. She decided to try and not push him to tell her about the surprise anymore. She could tell he really wanted her to be surprised and that meant a lot to him. So, she would respect that.

Their conversation then turned back to music. "So, you do want to get some writing done here?" Ana asks. "I mean I definitely get that. You can find inspiration at various places." She states knowingly. "Maybe something you end up singing about and writing will end up on your next album." She suggests.

"Maybe so." Fen says and starts strumming the guitar.

"Make a request." He then asks.

"A request?" She asks a bit curious about what he meant.

"Yes, a request for a romantic song." He clarifies. "I feel like singing something to you." He smiles.

"Oh…." Ana remarks pleased. "Hmmm how about something we can sing together…" She thinks. "You've talked about how much you've loved Lionel Richie." She thinks. "You want to sing some "Endless Love." She then looks at him and bursts out laughing at the face he makes when she mentions Lionel Richie. Fen really did like him. "That is old school. Or would you prefer to sing something more modern?" She asks.

"I do like a lot of the old school stuff." Fen responds.

"Yeah, I know. Me too." Ana agrees. "We could sing that..." A thought then hits her. "Or, hey do you like Aaron Neville?" She asks.

Fen nods. "He has a very distinctive voice…. And I do like some of his songs. My mom likes the duet that he did with Linda Ronstadt".He reveals to Ana. "Don't' know much…" She has played and sung that song around the house multiple times; I know the lyrics by heart." Fen confesses.

"My mom loves that song too!" Ana exclaims. "And yes, I know the lyrics as well. That's funny." She remarks amused.

"It looks like we have even more in common than we realized." Fen declares happily. He then thinks for a moment and starts strumming the guitar and playing the beginning of the song. He starts to sing.

_"Look at this face, __I know the years are showing __Look at this life __I still don't know where it's going"_

Ana smiles and then closes her eyes for a moment as she listens to Fen singing and playing the guitar. He had improved a lot as a guitar player since when she first met him and he decided to become a musician. He had been around and decided to learn from some very talented guitar players and they had really taught him a lot about playing the instrument and about how to play and create different arrangements. He was doing a good job on the guitar with this song. She then opens up her eyes and smiles and begins singing Linda's part of the song:

_"Look at these eyes, __They never seen what mattered, __Look at these dreams, __So beaten and so battered..."_

Fen starts to get chills as he listens to Ana singing. He plays and then they come to the part of the song where they start singing together.

"_I don't know much, but I know I loovve you, and that's ALL I neeed to knooww._" Their voices ring out as they sing together. They continue to sing.

_"Look at this man so blessed with inspiration..._" Fen sings. They continue to sing and finally end the song. "_And that may be all there is to know..._" After they end the song Ana takes a breath and smiles.

"So, I totally dug, that." She says laughing.

"Me too." Fen remarks.

"You know we don't sing together like that very often. Especially since you've really branched out as your own as an artist, but that was fun." Ana tells him. "We should sing together more often." She suggests.

"Yeah we should." Fen reaches out and caresses her cheek. "We definitely should." A look then crosses his face.

"Though, I just realized there were some kind of sad elements in that song." Fen remarks thinking about the lyrics. "They were talking about stuff like broken and battered dreams." He shrugs. "Oh, well, it was still romantic though."

"Very romantic." Ana agrees. They look at each other and lean forward and kiss again.

Ana then rests her hand on Fen's arm for a minute. "Okay, we probably need to go get ready and gets some sort of adventure and sightseeing mileage out of today. Next thing, you know it will be dinner time…. If it's not already." She lets his arm go. "You're already ready, so I'll get ready and then we can venture out and do some other fun stuff, hubby."

"Sounds like a plan." Fen agrees smiling as he watches her walk away to get ready for the rest of their day together. He lightly strums the guitar thinking once again how happy he was that she was his wife.


	35. Some Connecting, Comforting & Confiding

**Some Connecting, Comforting and Confiding**

"How have you been doing?" Monty asks Mattie as they are sitting in a break room at Jabot. He takes a sip of coffee and gives her a concerned look.

"Okay." Mattie says looking up at him. She was just finishing up eating her lunch.

"Un-huh." Monty nods looking at her. He had heard about Lily being attacked and had wanted to express his sympathy to Mattie. But he was just getting to know her and didn't want to come across as prying too much. He sits down at the table with her and studies her for a moment. She really was pretty. And she was very smart too. She had been coming up with good ideas for their collections project and he appreciated them. She could be a bit headstrong here and there, but he was enjoying working with her.

He looks at her for a moment more and smiles. She looks up from eating and their eyes meet. She returns his smile and feels her heart skip a beat. He really was handsome. And very intelligent. He had great ideas when it came to their collections projects. She was enjoying working with him. She finds herself gazing into his handsome eyes and then realizes what's she's doing and then looks back down at her food.

"Did you... um enjoy the wedding?" Monty asks and then regrets asking that as soon as he said it. _Of course, she probably didn't enjoy the wedding, her mother was_ _attacked_. He wanted to shake his head at himself for saying that. But he did want to find out how she was feeling about her mother and wanted to find out if she really was okay.

A look comes across Mattie's face and then she gives him a hesitant smile. "Yeah, I did…at least at first." She states thinking back to Ana's/Fen's wedding and how things ended up playing out.

"Well I'm glad you got to have at least some fun." Monty tell her graciously.

"Yeah, I did, I got to spend time with my family,and see my twin brother Charlie." She informs him.

"That's good." Monty replies listening to her. "I know he's in film school." He then remembers something. "And believe it or not, I think that my brother may have mentioned him."

Mattie's eyes widen. "Really?" She asks curiously.

Monty nods. "Yeah, he mentioned something about having his eyes on some young filmmakers and I'm pretty sure your brother's name came up." Monty reveals to her. "Charlie Ashby, right?"

Mattie nods. "Yeah, I mean Charlie actually mentioned your brother and entering a contest to shadow him, so he'll be excited to know he's even on his radar." She folds her hands and looks at Monty and smiles. "Going to film school and possibly becoming a director someday means a lot to Charlie." She confesses to him. "I admit at first I was hesitant about him going to film school. I thought he should be more focused on academics, and find something more, I don't know…likely to happen." Mattie says.

"Un-huh." Monty replies continuing to listen to her. "Right but it sounds like this is what he wants to do…" His voice trails off as he becomes thoughtful and reflects on his own family.

"And I know first-hand how important it is for someone to follow their dreams, even if someone in the family may have had other plans for them." He reveals. He thinks some more and then decides to tell Mattie a little more about his family.

"I mean my own brother Darryl Jr, was always interested in becoming a filmmaker." He informs Mattie. "Even since he was really young…"

"But he chose football at first…" Mattie interjects.

Monty shakes his head. "He ended up _doing_ that first." He clarifies. "It's what my dad really wanted for him and for Lincoln too…" He continues. "My dad was a great football player…."

"That what my cousin Nate says. "Mattie adds.

Monty looks at her and smiles. "Yeah, my dad was great, and he wanted his sons to follow in his footsteps, and Darryl Jr, definitely had the talent to do that. More so than any of us…"

Mattie nods as she continues to listen to him.

"I mean dad dreamed that Jr. would follow into his footsteps and even make it into the Hall of Fame someday."

"Like your dad, did I guess?" Mattie interjects.

Monty nods and smiles again. "Yeah, he did and that's what dad wanted for Darryl, but it didn't work out like that."

Mattie nods curious. "What happened?" She finds herself asking and then wonders if she should have even asked that question.

"If you don't mind me asking?" She adds, wondering if he would tell her more about his brother's situation.

Monty shrugs. "Yeah, I mean it's just well... Darryl wasn't into football as much as dad was or wanted him to be. And that came through when he was in the NFL. Things kind of catapulted when some drama happened regarding a teammate of his and Darry's ex and things didn't go so well for him after that. He tells her. "And he decided to walk away from it, much quicker than any of us thought. And certainly, much quicker than my dad wanted."

Mattie nods thinking about what he was saying. "And I'm guessing that may have upset your dad."

Monty leans back reflecting to that time. "You bet it did." He confides to her. "Things were definitely strained between them for a while there and they didn't really mend things until Lincoln's injury."

"That's right, Lincoln was in the NFL too, but got derailed by injury." Mattie remembers what her cousin Nate had told her.

Monty nods. "Yes, he had a major injury where we actually ended up not only being worried about his career, but his life as well." He shakes his head as he thinks back to that scary moment where Lincoln had taken a big hit and been laid out on the football field.

"Man, that was a scary time for all of us when Lincoln got hurt. It really worried all of us especially my mother." He reveals.

"She was really scared, and that really was an eye-opening moment for all of us. It made us realize more than anything that nothing is more important than family." He tells her solemnly. "And that's what made Jr. and Dad put their differences aside to rally around Lincoln."

"And he recovered…" Mattie says.

Monty nods gratefully. "He did but his career unfortunately was over. And it was a big bummer for him and for all of us, because he really did love football. And he had the passion for it that dad wished Junior had." Monty pauses and takes a sip of his drink. "Plus, this came after a very good year for him, where his team made the playoffs and it seemed like he was going places…" He pauses. "Yet it was pulled out from underneath him in one moment."

Mattie nods understanding. "It is something how things can just be taken away from people so quickly. I do know something about that myself." Mattie tells him thinking about how she lost her grandfather Neil unexpectedly and suddenly around two years ago.

"Yeah, it was a life altering experience for him, for all of us really." Monty confides in her. "But thankfully, he ended up being okay and was able to move on with his life." He smiles, proud of his brother Lincoln. "He now has his own successful business and his own family…I'm glad he was able to still have a good life for himself."

"I'm glad to hear that." Mattie tells him.

"Thanks." He responds smiling at her. "He lost out on having more time with doing something he really loves, but I know that he's grateful for the time he had in the NFL. And he's found a career he's happy in." He looks down at his cup thoughtful. "And that's ultimately what I was getting at earlier, that people need to do or at least find careers that can make them happy, like Jr., did and Lincoln was able to do after his football career was cut short." He looks up at Mattie. "Like hopefully your brother will be able to do, with his desire to become a film director.

Mattie nods thinking. "Yeah, I know it means a lot to Charlie, and I do hope it works out for him." She admits.

Monty nods. "Good, I hope it does, and who knows maybe my brother Jr., can be a part of helping make that happen for him."

Mattie smiles. "Charlie would love that." Her and Monty smile at each other. He becomes thoughtful again. "Yeah, and I'm sorry if I hijacked our conversation about your attending the wedding." He apologizes. "It's just when you mentioned Charlie being in film school and doing something that he loved it made me think of my own family, especially my brothers." He gives her an apologetic look.

"I didn't intend to go into as much of their backstories as I did with you." Monty admits. "I don't know, but I guess I just felt comfortable telling you about that." He admits, thinking for a moment about how easy it was to talk to Mattie and confide in her.

Mattie makes a gesture with her hands. "That's okay." She tells him. "I get it, and it made me respect more what Charlie is trying to do. I may not always agree with everything he does, in fact quite a few times, I don't. But he's my brother and I love him."

"Yeah... And what else happened at the wedding?" Monty asks, and thinks again about hearing about Lily's attack.

Mattie frowns thinking about the attack as well. "Well, you may have heard already but my mom was attacked at the wedding..."

Monty nods. "Yeah, I did, and I can't believe that. Is she okay?" He asks sincerely. "She seems like a lovely lady."

Mattie nods. "Yeah, she's okay, but she was unconscious for a few hours after she was attacked. And she had some head wounds, but she's healing up now. And the doctors said that she will make a full recovery. She's just taking it easy now." Mattie informs him.

"I'm glad to hear that." Monty responds.

"Yeah, but it was just so scary, seeing her lying there on the floor of the ladies' room…" Mattie states incredulously, still in a bit in shock at what had happened to her mother. "I mean when I found her, she was just lying there knocked out cold and bleeding." She closes her eyes and shivers at thinking again about that moment.

"You found her?" Monty asks.

Mattie opens up her eyes and nods, a very somber expression on her face. "Yeah and it was so scary, I tried to get her to wake up and when I couldn't I panicked a bit…" She recalls. "But thankfully, I remembered that Nate and Elena were around, and I went to get them, and they stayed with her until the ambulance showed up…." She takes a deep breath and then continues. "And I was so scared, so was Charlie." She confesses to him. "So was all of us really. And we stayed in the hospital for a while that night, hoping mom would wake up…" She looks at Monty the fear she had that night reflecting in her eyes. "Sophia led us in prayer, and within an hour or so after that, Mom woke up." She takes another deep breath and sighs again, this time with relief.

"I tell you Monty, I was so glad, when she woke up. The thought of my mom's life being in danger and losing her, it was so I'm was just so so…..." Mattie shivers again at the thought of losing Lily.

"It's alright." Monty says and instinctively reaches out and grabs her hand. "It's alright Mattie. It's alright lady."

Mattie nods as she holds onto his hand. His touch felt warm and comforting. As Monty is trying to calm her, Valentina walks into the room and frowns when she sees him holding her hand.

"Yeah, thank goodness it was, but it just so frightening." She admits to him still shaken.

"I know." He squeezes her hand. "I felt like that when Lincoln got injured, but it turned out alright, just like it did with your mother…" He assures her.

"Ahemmm!" They are suddenly interrupted by Valentina who makes a loud sound. This startles Mattie who pulls her hand away from Monty in the process.

"Oh, hi guys!" Valentina says looking at them and giving them a smile. "Sorry to interrupt you, but I just wanted to remind Monty that lunch is almost over, and Boyd and I needed to meet with you guys about the collections. We have some really good ideas that could benefit both of our projects." She says looking at them smiling and then narrows her eyes at Mattie.

Monty looks at her nodding. "Well, thanks for reminding us." He tells her. "We'll see you guys in a few minutes." He tells her and then turns back to Mattie.

Valentina frowns at how quickly he turns back to Mattie.

"Okay!" She responds. "We'll see you guys in a few." She then shuffles off a bit annoyed about seeing Mattie and Monty's closeness.

"Yeah everything's good and hopefully they will catch whoever did this to your mother." Monty expresses to Mattie optimistically. "Do they have any leads on that?"

Mattie shakes her head. "Not really. Mom can't remember anything surrounding the attack, except from feeling pain after being hit." She informs him.

"Ana said someone else was in the bathroom stall, but we don't know who that person is or if they slipped out before Mom was attacked." She tells him. Mom said she had her back turned but couldn't remember anyone else coming into or leaving the restroom at that time."

Mattie nods taking that in. "Well, hopefully, they will catch who did this. They deserve to be in prison." He expresses firmly.

"I mean running up on a happy occasion like that and attacking a random, innocent person is just _wow_…" Monty shakes his head in disbelief. He then leans back and sighs. "But unfortunately, in today's world you have people like that running around." He then gives her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry that put a damper on your cousin's wedding, Mattie." He tells her sincerely.

Mattie looks at him and smiles at his sincerity. "It wasn't all terrible." She assures him. "We still had a good time prior to the wedding." She tells him.

"Ana and Fen's wedding was beautiful. And we all had a good time dancing. And I even caught the bouquet." She finds herself revealing to him.

Monty raises his eyebrow and smiles. "Really?" He asks. "Did you want to catch it?" "You got any plans of your own anytime soon?" He teases. He looks at her with a twinkle in his eye.

Mattie finds herself blushing at his questions. "Uh-it was on accident…really." She stammers. "I wasn't trying to catch it; the other women were but it somehow fell into my hands." She informs him.

"Oh, okay." Monty says a bit amused. "Did your boyfriend feel pressured about that?" He jokes. "Was he feeling the heat after you caught it at the wedding?"

"Uh-…" Mattie begins unsure of what to say. This was the second time that Monty had asked if she had a boyfriend. And she never clarified that she didn't.

"Well, uh…. You know I was actually at the wedding by myself." She reveals.

"He didn't go with you?" Monty asks. "Or was it just a very private family event without any plus one's type of thing?" He asks.

"Oh, we were allowed plus ones." Mattie says. "I just uh... was there by myself, you know sometimes people…"

"He had something better to do than spend time with you?" Monty asks a bit disapprovingly.

"You know sometimes stuff happens." Mattie says a bit cryptically. She still didn't tell him she didn't have a boyfriend and was pondering if she should. Once again, she opted not to.

Monty shakes his head. "Hmm... well, his loss." He says. "Couldn't have been me." He blurts out.

Mattie makes a face. "What do you mean?" She asks.

"I mean I'm not turning down an invitation to a famous pop star's wedding." He responds, laughing.

"Oh…" Mattie nods understanding. A thoughtful look comes across her face. "But you're probably used to that with that considering your dad and brothers were well-known athletes and now Jr, is a famous filmmaker."

"Yeah, I'm been to some fun events, which is exactly, why I know not to skip out on them." Monty laughs again. "A chance to have some fun and turn up a bit, especially with a pretty girl". He finds himself saying. "I'm always in for something like that." He declares lightheartedly.

"Oh…" Mattie says feeling her face grow warm again. _Did he just say I was pretty she thinks to herself?_

"Well, I didn't really turn up." Mattie states. "But I did have some fun before you know... that stuff with my mom happened."

"Good." Monty remarks smiling. "I'm glad you had fun." He tells her sincerely. "Too bad your boyfriend missed out on that part." He smiles at her again and Mattie feels her face grow warm and her heart skip a little. Monty then looks down at his watch.

"Time is flying today." He says. "We should be getting back to work shortly. Valentina did say she wanted to meet with us about some ideas regarding the collections."

Mattie nods. Her and Monty get up and she throws her away her trash from her lunch. They then head off to meet with Valentina and Boyd.


	36. Parental Observation

**Parental Observations**

"You really should take it easy." Cane tells Lily as she moves around.

"I'm fine Cane." Lily assures him. "You don't have to worry."

"I do." Cane insists. "Some whacko attacks you in a bathroom at Ana and Fen's wedding and leaves you there helpless for our daughter to find…" Cane responds angrily. "It's disgusting."

"They are still trying to figure out who did this." Lily informs him. "But unfortunately, they don't have much of anything."

"I mean Ana and I can remember someone in the stall when we were talking, but after that everything was a blur when I got attacked." Lily says still perplexed by what had happened.

"I remember some stuff falling out of my purse and I bent down to pick it up. And then the next thing I know I'm feeling very sharp pain and I'm blacking out…"

She looks at Cane and shrugs. "I don't know who did it, as I was faced away from the mirror… I don't know…." She shakes her head. "And they don't have anything from security as the cameras were turned off at that time. They were working on updating their systems and thought the wedding would be a good time to turn the security cameras off."

Cane rolls his eyes. "Yes, because having no security footage at a hotel where a famous pop star's wedding is going on, makes perfect sense."

"It's weird how things worked out like that." Lily adds. "But it did, and it makes it easier for that person to still be out there on the loose." She shivers.

Cane rubs his face and sighs. "I wonder what the motive is for this attack?" He ponders. "Was it just some random crazy hanging out in the women's restroom or… were you targeted for some reason?" He wonders.

"I don't know." Lily makes a gesture with her hands. "I'm just glad I ended up being okay…" She expresses relieved. "Uhh… I'm glad I'm still here."

"Yeah, me too." Cane says reaching out and touching her shoulder. "When Charlie called me about you, he seemed so scared. And then I talked to Mattie and she sounded even more afraid. Which makes sense because she found you…"

Lily sighs and closes her eyes. "She must have been so scared…" She sighs again. "Thank goodness that Nate and Elena were nearby, and they could help and comfort her."

Cane nods. "Yeah, the thought of her losing you, the thought of all of us losing you…that would have been terrible." He rubs her shoulder again. "I really am glad that you are okay. And I hope they catch the scumbag who did this."

"Hopefully they will. Devon says he's got some independent people on it." Lily reveals.

"Well, hopefully someone will track down who did this." Cane states firmly. "They don't need to be on the streets."

Lily nods in agreement. A thoughtful look then comes across her face. "So… how long do you plan to stick around. You can't just stay here hovering over me…" Lily teases him. "And I'm sure Traci will be missing you."

"She understands that this is very important." Cane informs her. "And she's on one of the legs of her book tour in Europe..., so she's pretty busy. She's not going to hang around waiting for me…" He tells Lily smiling.

Lily makes a face after he says that. "Okay… but uh if you don't mind me asking you guys are good right?" She asks curiously.

Cane nods. "We're good." He confirms. He then leans back on the couch. "But while I am town for a little bit, I do want to do some more stuff with the kids. I haven't seen them in a while. And now with Charlie in film school and Mattie working at Jabot, it will give me the opportunity to really catch up with them and see what's going on with their lives." He smiles again. "I miss them."

"They miss you too." Lily tells him. "No matter how busy they may act."

"Good." Cane states happily. "And I also want to catch up with Jill and you know some old friends while I'm in town." They talk for a little more in Lily's home and then Mattie shows up. She had gotten off from work a little while ago. She smiles when she enters the room and sees her parents sitting together.

"Hey mom, dad." She greets them smiling.

"How was work?" Lily asks.

"Good." Mattie tells her. "We got a lot accomplished today in preparation for tomorrow's photo shoot at the dive bar."

"Are you excited to be a part of creating this photo shoot?" Cane asks.

Mattie nods. "Yes. Monty and I decided on the theme of it, and the setting for it is great." She informs Cane. "We got our models lined up, both male and female and we feel good about it." She smiles. "I think it will end up going well." She predicts optimistically.

"I think it will too. I think you and Monty probably did a good job helping arrange for this to happen." Lily says teasingly.

"Yeah, he's got great ideas and we work well together."

"Of course, you do." Lily responds and then laughs.

Mattie makes a face. "Mom…"

Cane notices their exchange and an amused look comes across his face. "What's going on here?" He probes.

Lily looks at him. "It's just Monty is Mattie's very handsome, young-coworker at work…."

"Mom!" Mattie says again.

Cane nods understanding. "Aw you and this Monty guy, is there something going on there?" Cane questions. "And what type of guy is he, I'm not just fine with anybody being interested in my daughter…"

"Dad…"

"I know you're grown now, but you're always be my little girl, when it comes to men…no one will just do for you." Cane tells her protectively. "And you should be careful with workplace romances, those types of situations can get messy…"

Mattie shakes her head. "It's not a workplace romance, dad. He's just, he's my partner…" Mattie then clarifies as she sees Cane raising his eyebrow. "I mean my partner for this project. That's all. We get along and we do good work together."

"And he makes her blush…" Lily tells Cane. "I've seen them interact together here and there, once when I went to pick Mattie up from Jabot, another time when they saw each other at Crimson Lights. And I've seen him say stuff to her, that makes her face turns red…"

"Mom I don't…" Mattie starts to protest.

"Yeah, you do." Lily interjects. "And it's cute."

"How old is this Monty guy?" Cane questions.

"He's 22." Lily tells him. "He's a good age…"

"You guys really need to cut this out. Monty and I aren't dating or anything. We just work together, that's all." Mattie insists. "I'm focusing on my career; you guys know that." She reminds them.

"Of course." Cane says nodding. "But you're a beautiful woman Mattie, so at some point men… And you're an adult now. you know…" Cane makes a face.

"And you can focus on your career and still have time for things like friends, and romance, dating, boyfriends." Lily adds. She looks at her daughter and smiles.

"Yeah, but it's not like that with me and him…." Mattie protests.

"Un-huh." Lily says knowing better. "Okay, whatever you say. Just know your father and I love and support you and your judgement. With your career and with any men you may be interested in. We know we raised you well." Lily declares in a supportive manner. "Is that fair?"

Mattie nods. "Yeah."

Just then Mattie gets a text. It was from Monty.

"We're going to crush this photo shoot, tomorrow, lady." The text reads. Mattie looks at it and smiles.

"Yes, I think so." She texts back to him and also texts a smiley face.

He then texts something that makes her laugh. Cane and Lily share a look.

"That him?" Lily teases.

Mattie looks at her and makes a face. "Mom…"

Cane and Lily look at each other. "That's him." They say in unison. They laugh.

"I'm going to go relax for a bit." Mattie tells them.

"Okay." Cane says. She heads off to another room, glancing at her phone again as she does so.

"They get grown so fast…." Cane jokes.

"Yeah…." Cane and Lily talk for a little more and then Cane gets ready to leave.

"I told Jill, I would go and spend some time with her at the mansion this evening." He informs Lily. "I've been meaning to do some catching up with her."

"That's good." Lily tells him.

"But maybe before I leave me, you and the kids can have dinner together, too?" Cane asks. "My treat. I'll take us out. Maybe to the Top of the Tower. It's been a while since I've been able to do something like that with them."

Lily thinks and nods. "That would be fine." She agrees. Cane nods and then he bids her good-bye and goes to spend time with Jill. After he leaves, Lily leans back grateful once again that she had survived her attack and was still around to spend time with her family.


	37. A Change of Plans

**A Change of Plans **

"It's almost showtime." Monty tells Mattie excitedly clapping his hands together.

"Yeah, and almost all of the models are here, well, almost all of them." Mattie observes looking over at the group of models.

"It looks like two of the females are missing." She notices. There were supposed to be eight models in total, four men and four women. They were all dressed in swim wear ready to do the photo shoot showcasing the swim line from Jabot's Summer collection. All the men were present but two of the women were missing.

"Hopefully, they will show up soon. Maybe they are running just a little behind." Monty guesses.

"Hopefully, they show up soon." Mattie says starting to worry. "They should have been here already." She looks down at her watch. She then pulls out her phone and decides to text one of the models.

"Where are you?" She texts the model named Kianna. She waits for a few moments and then gets a text back and frowns when she sees it.

"What?" She texts back. "How did that happen?"

"What's the matter?" Monty asks.

Mattie texts the model back and frowns even more when she sees her response. "Ryanne too?" She asks.

She gets another text back and then grimaces.

"Ugh!" She exclaims.

"What's going on Mattie?" Monty asks again as he sees her put her hand to her head. "Tell me."

"Great, just great!" Mattie exclaims. She then shoots the model another text and looks at Monty.

"Well, apparently, our two remaining models, missed their flight this morning from New York." Mattie informs him. "They were at some party last night and overslept…"

"Really?" Monty asks.

"And they were supposed to be from a top-notch modeling agency…" Mattie shakes her head. "Yet, this is the type of professionalism, they show." She shakes her head again. "We would have been better off finding more local models. She puts her hand on her hip. "Now we are short two female models…" She looks at Monty.

"What are we going to do?" She asks. "It's getting closer to the start of the shoot and we don't really have time to try and scrounge around and find some models." She thinks for a minute. "Or do we…" She then sighs. "I wish my mom's modeling agency was still around. If so, we could get some people from there…"

While Mattie and Monty were trying to figure out what to do, Valentina strolls up to them.

"Hey guys." She greets them. "Are you ready for this photo shoot? " She glances over at the models. "The models look great. And like they are ready." She observes. "But..." She looks them over… "Aren't you missing a couple of them?" She asks.

Monty nods. "Yeah, the last two models missed their flight, because they partied and overslept."

Valentina's eyes widen a bit when she hears that news. "Yikes." She says. "Well, that' s a bummer…" She observes. "And I just saw Lauren who's headed this way to touch base with you guys before this shoot begins."

Mattie frowns when she hears this news. "What are we going to tell her?" She asks Monty.

He sighs. "Well, we definitely need to tell her the truth about the models not being here." He rubs his face thinking. "Maybe we can still do the shoot without them…" He muses.

"But it's going to be totally imbalanced." Mattie tells him. "We really need four women for this shoot. It provides better symmetry for it." She insists. "I wish there was someone I could call…" She thinks for a bit more, while Valentina eyes a rack of swimsuits near them.

"These are some great looking swimsuits." She says running her hands over one of them. She then picks up one and holds it against her body and looks at Monty and smiles.

"Don't you think this bikini would look great on me, Monty." She asks coyly. "I think that I have the figure for it, what do you think?" She questions him.

Monty gives her a smile. "Yeah, I think you would look good in that suit." He replies honestly.

Mattie frowns when she sees Valentina flirting with Monty again. She was always doing this, and it continued to irritate Mattie. She was extra annoyed by it today, because she still hadn't figured out what to do to fix the situation with the models.

Just then Lauren heads over to the group of young people.

"It looks like we are getting ready to roll." Lauren tells them with a smile. "The photographer is here and is getting ready for this shoot." She looks around the dive bar.

"I like this theme you guys came up with." She tells them. "Very bright and it screams a fun day at the beach." She pats Mattie on the shoulder. "Good job guys." She tells them. She looks over at the models. "And it looks like you've made some good choices regarding the models." She tells them. "They look great and ready to rock this swimwear collection, which I hope will also end up flying off the shelves at Fenmore's." She expresses optimistically.

"There's a problem." Monty informs her.

"Oh?" Lauren raises her eyebrow. Monty and Mattie then tell her what happened to the missing models.

"That _is_ a problem." Lauren responds. "And we may not be using that agency again." She says. She then looks at both of them.

"Hmmm… so what do you guys think for a backup plan?" She questions them.

"We were thinking of having the shoot continue without the other two models." Monty informs her.

Lauren nods. "Yes, that is a possibility. And we have a great photographer who can make things work, even though we are shorthanded…." She looks over at the group of models. "Though, there's twice as many men as there are women and that is a bit glaring."

"Yes, and we were definitely trying to go for symmetry and balance." Mattie informs her. "It's why we wanted an equal number of women and men for this shoot." She then looks at Monty. "But given the fact that we are shorthanded, we'll have to make do." She glances over at the models. "And I can ask Lydia and Sasha if they will also model some of the suits that the other two were supposed to wear…"

Lauren nods, listening to her backup plan. "That may just have to do..." She tells her.

"We'll make it work." Monty promises Lauren.

Lauren nods and smiles. "Good." She then thinks and starts to say something when Valentina makes an offer.

"I can help." Valentina offers. "I could be one of the models." She suggests.

A surprised look comes across everyone's face when she suggests that.

"Uh… we want professional models." Lily interjects.

"I've actually done a little modeling in the past..." Valentina reveals. "Some print work here and there for some local department stores back home." She informs them. "I'm not a complete stranger to the camera…"

She then looks at Lauren and smiles. "And I would be honored to rock some of these swimsuits for Jabot and your store, Mrs. Fenmore."

Lauren smiles. "That's a nice offer, Valentina." Lauren says graciously. "But you don't have to do that. We didn't hire you to model…"

"But I don't mind…" Valentina insists. "It would be fine. And the shoot could use an extra female."

Lauren thinks for a moment and looks at Valentina and smiles. "Well, you are a very pretty girl… with a very nice figure."

"Thank you…" Valentina smiles.

"And a couple of years ago, my son and Kyle Abbott actually ended up doing the same thing, when we had an issue regarding a couple of missing models." Lauren recalls. "It was on a short notice, just like today and they stepped up and the photoshoot ended up being a success." She thinks again some more and smiles again.

"It may just work." She looks at Valentina and nods. "Yeah, if you want to, go for it." She tells her.

Mattie's eyes widen.

"But we will definitely pay you for this, the same wage we were going to give those other two models." Lauren promises her. "We'll add it on to your regular pay for your next paycheck." "You do not have to do this for free."

"Cool." Valentina says. "I always appreciate extra money."

"Okay…" Lauren says. "Pick you out a couple of suits and there's a makeup artist here too, and you can see her as well." She instructs.

"Thanks for helping Valentina." Monty tells her gratefully. "This wasn't what we intended…, but we appreciate your help."

"Not a problem Monty and I'm going to wow people in these suits. You'll see. I'll have you drooling." She teases him. He laughs.

Mattie frowns when she sees this exchange. "Uh…. Yeah Thanks Valentina." She tells her halfheartedly, not pleased with how this day of the photo shoot was going so far.

"You're welcome." Valentina says. She then looks at Mattie and gives her a smirk. "You know we are down two, models, you could strap on a couple of these suits as well." She suggests. "And we could have that balance and symmetry you desperately want."

Mattie frowns at Valentina's suggestion.

"I mean surely there is a swimsuit here that would fit your uh...figure…" She picks out a one piece and puts it in front of Mattie. "Maybe this one. I could see you in something like this." Valentina then looks her over and makes a gesture with her hands. "You know something more conservative and less sexy…" Valentina laughs. "We are trying to appeal to multiple demographics, and there are people out there that probably have your tastes." She laughs. She then looks at Monty and winks.

Mattie looks at him as well and was annoyed and a bit embarrassed that Valentina was talking like that about her, especially in front of him. She was becoming even more annoyed with Valentina due to these comments.

"My tastes?" Mattie snips, pushing the suit Valentina was holding away from her. "I can rock a two piece, two just fine…" She claims. Monty raises his eyebrows when she says that and a hint of a smile dances at the corner of his lips. An amused look also comes across Lauren's face.

"Okay, then let's see it then …" Valentina challenges her. "And wasn't your mother a model?" She asks. "Maybe she taught you a thing or two…"

Mattie tries hard not to roll her eyes at Valentina's antics. "Yes, she was, and my grandmother was a famous fashion model."

"Drucilla Winters was a fabulous model." Lauren interjects. "Very stylish and lovely."

"Yes, Grandma Dru was a great model." Mattie adds. "But I just…"

"You don't have the will for it…" Valentina asks.

"I just…I didn't come here today planning to model…" Mattie tells her. "And I don't really…" She sighs, a bit caught off guard by what was going on. Lauren could sense that and jumped in.

"And you don't have to model if you don't want to..." Lauren assures her. "Valentina's offer was nice, and I appreciate it, but you don't have to do the modeling if you don't want too." She repeats. "You weren't hired to do that." She pats Mattie's shoulder. "You can manage things like you originally intended to, with Monty." Lauren smiles. "We can make it work with three women and four men. That's not exactly balanced, but a lot of things aren't. And they still work out." She laughs.

Monty nods. "Yeah, we got this, Mattie." He tells her. "We'll oversee things with the photo shoot, it is the set of collections we are in charge of after all." He smiles at her reassuringly. Mattie looks into his eyes and smiles at his encouragement. She nods.

"Well, it's settled then."Lauren declares. "You two continue to manage things with this shoot. And you Valentina, can grab a couple of these swimsuits, and I'll introduce you to the makeup artist. Lauren smiles again at Monty and Mattie and heads away with Valentina, who turns to look back at Monty and smiles.

"Drooling…" She calls out to him. This does cause Mattie to roll her eyes.

"Well, that was cool of Valentina." Monty remarks gratefully. "She may have just helped save this shoot." He predicts.

Mattie shakes her head. "I guess." She replies skeptically. "Though…I can't help but wonder if she has ulterior motives, for doing this." She finds herself blurting out.

"What do you mean?" Monty asks a bit surprised, by Mattie's accusation.

"I mean Valentina seems to crave attention from people, especially you…" She finds herself telling him.

Mattie shakes her head and then rolls her eyes. "I mean she kept talking about how she wanted to make you drool by wearing the swimsuits… I mean she's so it sounds like she really wants…" Mattie looks into Monty's eyes, which had a curious expression in them. She stops herself and changes what she was going to say. "She just uh… really seems to like attention… and…" Mattie fishes for words, that wouldn't give away too much of what she felt about Valentina and her constant flirting with Monty.

Monty smiles and then waves his hand. "That's just Valentina. It's just her personality." He tells Mattie. "And she's very smart and ambitious…"

"Oh, she's ambitious alright…" Mattie states sarcastically. _Ambitious to get you for herself_. She thinks to herself.

A thoughtful expression comes across Monty's face. He thinks about saying something, but Boyd comes over and asks about the photo shoot. They fill him in on what is going on. They all talk a bit more about the shoot and then it starts to get underway. The models start to assemble to work with the photographer. Valentina joins them shortly. Both Monty and Boyd smile brightly when they see her. Boyd sucks in his breath. She was wearing a blue swimsuit with a triangle bikini top and cheeky bottom. She looked great and the swimsuit really showcased her curvier figure. She smiles at the men and then winks at Monty.

"She looks great." Boyd says.

"Yeah, she does." Monty admits smiling. Mattie frowns when she hears the men praising Valentina's looks. She then sighs and continues to watch the photo shoot. The models including Valentina ended up doing a great job and Valentina fit in well with them. They end up changing into other bathing suits, with Valentina opting for a black one with a halter bikini top, and a more moderate lattice side bikini bottom. The photographer takes several different photos of everyone separately and together, directing them throughout the shoot.

Once they are done, he says something to Lauren and smiles. They chat for a bit. Valentina then runs over to the other three young people after the shoot is done with.

"That was fantastic!" She exclaims. "I had fun doing that." She admits to them happily.

"And you looked like you had fun." Boyd tells her smiling.

"Yeah, lady you looked great." Monty praises her. "And you fit in well with the rest of the models. If I wouldn't have known better, I would have thought you've been doing this for a while." He gives her a big smile.

"And you came through big for us today." He tells her in an appreciative manner. "You helped us salvage this shoot."

"You're welcome Monty." She replies. Valentina then steps closer to him and pulls him into a tight hug surprising everyone. Mattie can't help but cringe when she does this.

"As they say teamwork makes the dream work." She says hugging him close to her. "And we're a team right."

"Uh…yeah..." Monty says. "We all are."

Valentina gives him another squeeze and Mattie watches annoyed, while Boyd watches wistfully. She then releases him. She lightly rubs his shoulder and looks into his eyes. "Yes, we are." She then turns to Mattie and gives her a mischievous smile.

"Right Mattie?"

"Yes, we are." Mattie responds trying to keep her composure. "And hopefully next time we will have our ducks more in a row and find more reliable people for our projects, so that one of us doesn't have to resort to desperate measures." She states her tone, a bit harsh.

Valentina brushes off her harsh tone. "Yeah, but as we will learn in the world of business, things don't always go as planned and when they don't you've got to improvise. And people have to step up." She looks at Monty again. "And I'm one that is always willing to step up to get the job done." She looks him in his eyes. "I always work hard for what I want." She coos.

Monty nods. "I believe that."

Just then Lauren comes over and smiles at the group. "That shoot ended up going well." She informs them proudly. "And Valentina you are a natural, at this modeling thing." She informs her. "The photographer said you took some of the best pictures from the group."

"Thank you, Mrs. Fenmore."

"And even though we were short one female…" Lauren continues. "It still looks like everything will turn out just fine." She assures them. "So good job team."

Everyone smiles. Lauren then turns to Mattie. "Hey Mattie, I had wanted to talk to you about some of the ideas that you brought me the other day about this project. They sound pretty good and I just wanted to pick your mind a bit more about them."

Mattie nods. "Sure, Mrs. Fenmore." She then walks away with Lauren to talk. As she's walking away, she glances back at Monty, Valentina and Boyd. Valentina is standing close to Monty and putting her hands on his arm.

_She just loves to put her hands on him_. Mattie thinks to herself. She then tries to focus and turns her attention back to Lauren. Mattie was glad that the shoot had went well. But she didn't like that it seemed like Valentina used it as a way to try and impress/get closer to Monty. That annoyed Mattie and made her concerned about what Valentina may do going forward to try to get closer to him. She seemed to want him, and Mattie did not like that at all.

She tries to shake off these feelings, but she couldn't. She also didn't care for how Valentina tried to upstage her at the shoot. As Lauren was talking to her in the back of her mind Mattie was also wondering if she would have more to worry about besides just doing her job, with Valentina around. She decided to table those thoughts for now and focus on Lauren and what she was saying about her ideas.


	38. Promise To Get On TrackGrowing Concern

**A Promise to Get Back on Track and Growing Concerns**

"So, I got the job." Misty tells Lincoln excitedly as they are sitting on the couch at his and Summer's home.

"Well, that's good." Lincoln finds himself, saying still a bit unsure of how things would end up working if she stayed around longer term.

"Yes, Sophia was actually impressed with me." Misty brags. "Imagine that, your mother still has it."

"Un-huh." Lincoln says.

"You don't sound so thrilled." Misty says a bit miffed with his reaction to her getting the assistant job at Hamilton-Winters.

"No, it's not that. I'm just…" Lincoln closes his eyes and thinks for a moment. "You know, I'm glad you're trying to put your life back together." He assures her. "I am. Especially if you're serious about wanting to repair your relationship with me and have a relationship with your grandchild."

Misty frowns. "Of course, I'm serious." She tells him shaking her head. "I don't know how many times; I have to tell you that. I'm serious."

"Well, I hope so. And I hope that this job is the start of you really turning your life around."

"It is, you'll see." Misty promises him. "And I will actually be making you and my granddnugget proud." A thoughtful look comes across her face. "Speaking of my grandchild, how is he and Summer doing?" She asks.

"Well." Lincoln nods. "Summer's getting a bit closer to her due date now."

"I saw that." Misty says. "But everything's going well with them?"

He nods. "Yes, she had another checkup everything is well." Lincoln informs her.

"Good." Misty replies. Her eyes then widen. "I have to say I was actually worried about them, when I heard about what had happened at Fen Baldwin's wedding."

Lincoln eyes widen as well. "Yeah, that was a bit crazy."

"Yeah, I mean who would knock a random woman out in a ladies bathroom, like that." Misty questions, perplexed. "Did they catch who did that?"

Lincoln shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no."

Misty shakes her head. "Well, I hope they do." She tells him. "I know I'm no saint by any means, but purposely trying to kill a random person like that, that's a big no." She then looks at Lincoln and chuckles. "I go after the people who I feel have truly wrong me, not random innocents." She nods. "I know who deserves to have me put the screws to them and who doesn't."

Lincoln makes a face when she says this. "Well, if only everyone had your sense of old fashioned justice, mom." He says sarcastically. They look at each other and laugh. Misty brightens up at him calling her mom. He didn't really do that often and hadn't done it in a while. Especially since their relationship had gotten more strained. It was nice to hear him call her that again.

"But seriously I'm glad no one hurt you, or Summer and your child." A serious expression comes on her face. "I'm not here for anyone messing with my family." They talk for a bit more and then Lincoln looks at his watch.

"Monty is supposed to show up shortly." He informs Misty. "We're going to order some dinner together. Summer is actually working late tonight at Newman." He tells her. "She's trying to get some extra work in before she takes her maternity leave."

"Well, I guess that's my cue to skedalle." Misty tells him. "I don't want to clash with your other family." She remarks dryly.

"Monty is a good dude". Lincoln tells her.

"Maybe so, but he has loyalty to Paula, and I know he's not a fan of me. No one in that family is."

Lincoln nods. "Well, maybe things will become smoother." He expresses cautiously. "You are trying and that counts for something."

"I just won't be getting any invites to any anniversary parties anytime soon." Misty jokes. They talk for a bit more and then she gets up to leave.

"I'll talk to you later." She tells him. "And I still want to come over one day and cook dinner for you and Summer." She tells him. "I enjoyed the dinner you guys made for me and I want to return the favor."

Lincoln nods. "That would actually be nice." They talk a little more and then he bids her good-bye, as she heads back to the GCAC.

A little while later, Monty shows up.

"Hey, brother." He says walking into the home with a smile.

"Hey dude, what's up." Lincoln greets him. "You ready to order some chow?"

Monty nods. "Yeah in a minute, I just want to sit for a moment and unwind from work."

"Rough day?" Lincoln asks his younger brother.

Monty makes a face. "Not exactly, well it was an interesting day…" He remarks thinking back to what happened at the photo shoot.

"The photo shoot went okay?"

Monty nods. "It went well, though some unplanned stuff happened."

"Like what?" Lincoln asks curiously.

Monty sits down on the couch and relaxes as he begins to tell his brother about his day. "Well, first two of our models didn't show up." He reports to Lincoln. "Apparently they overslept and missed their flight after they attended a late party last night."

"Well, that's not good." Lincoln notes.

"Yeah, so we were shorthanded two female models… And we had wanted four women and four men, but without those two women, the men outnumbered the women…"

"So, what did you do?"

"Well, Valentina…"

"One of your co-workers right…" Lincoln asks. "The pretty girl that likes to follow you on Twitter and Instagram…."

"Yes…" Monty nods. "She decided to step in as one of the models to help us with the shoot."

"That is interesting." Lincoln nods with a thoughtful expression on his face. "And how did that go…"

"It went great. She did a great job and looked great. She was really rocking those swimsuits…" Monty smiles when he thinks back to Valentina modeling the swimsuits. "She will definitely help us attract some new buyers."

Lincoln laughs. "Of course,"

"But…" Monty frowns when he thinks about what else had happened. "Things still seemed kind of testy…" He pauses for a moment and then continues.

"Testy between?" Lincoln asks.

"Between Valentina and Mattie." Monty informs his brother.

"Ah…" Lincoln says nodding. "Your pretty but more reserved co-worker that you talk about sometimes. And who is working on this Summer collections project with you…"

Monty nods. "Yes her…" He sighs. "For some reason Mattie doesn't seem to care much for Valentina. I don't think she really likes her." He speculates. "I mean I know sometimes Valentina can be kind of bold, and she does say stuff at times that I think pushes Mattie's buttons. Like at the shoot." He shrugs. "But I think that overall she's a decent person and that her heart is often in the right place."

"Though, her and Mattie keep clashing." Lincoln notes. "And you say that Mattie doesn't really like her."

Monty says. "Like not at all." He grows thoughtful. "I have wanted to bring it up with them especially Mattie, but I'm not sure how to broach the subject." He confides in his brother. "I just want them to get along." He declares earnestly. "Because at the end of the day, we all work for the same company and should be on the same side." He smiles. "And Valentina really came through for us today, when we were shorthanded with the models. I don't' think that the shoot would have turned out as well, if she hadn't volunteered to be a model." He speculates.

Lincoln nods as he listens to his younger brother's concerns.

"Do you think there may be more to why Mattie doesn't really like Valentina?" He questions. "Besides a difference in personality and some needling here and there."

Monty shrugs. "I don't know. I just wonder if it's mainly because Valentina's personality rubs her the wrong way." He thinks some more. "And they are like the opposite of each other, well mostly opposite." He remarks.

"Valentina is bold and confident and speaks her mind and is very forward and daring." He tells his brother.

"Whereas Mattie is more reserved and not as brash. Though…." He continues. "She's not afraid to speak her mind too." He states. "She's not afraid to tell me when she doesn't like something."

"Both women are very smart and hard-working." Monty tells his brother. "I can tell they have both worked hard to get to where they are at."

"Umm-hmmm. Well, maybe it's just them trying to get adjusted to each other. Because they differ in some big ways personality wise." Lincoln guesses. "Maybe that's all that it is."

Monty makes a face. "Maybe. I don't know. I just hope they end up getting along." He hopes. "They both have a lot to offer."

"And it doesn't hurt by the way you have spoken of them, that they are both easy on the eyes." His brother teases him.

Monty laughs. "Yeah, that doesn't hurt either." He admits honestly. "Valentina is very pretty and outgoing. And Mattie is also pretty and has this quieter refined quality to her, that is interesting and appealing." He admits to his brother.

"Un-huh…" His brother says. "Sounds like they appeal to you for more than just their work ethics." He teases.

Monty smiles. "I mean…they're my co-workers and sometimes you do have to be careful about stuff like that in the workplace... And at least one of them is taken." Monty tells his brother.

"Valentina?" Lincoln questions. "Or…"

"Mattie." Monty responds. "She has a boyfriend, I've asked about that before, when she was telling me stuff about her family and she didn't deny it, so it's probably true." He shrugs. "I can understand how a woman like her would have a boyfriend. And if she doesn't, she probably is not saying anything, because she wants me to think she does." He laughs. "She may not be saying anything because she doesn't want me to think she's single."

"Oh…?" Lincoln asks laughing. "A pretty girl is not interested in the best-looking Lattimore man in the family." He rolls his eyes. "Well, according to you. You say you're better looking than all of us, including dad."

"Hey, I can't help the truth…" Monty jokes. "We're all good looking men, but I am the best looking one. It is what it is." The two brothers laugh.

"Yeah, she's probably committed to her boyfriend, and may also not be interested in me like that." Monty surrmises nodding. "So that's that."

"And Valentina….?" Lincoln questions.

"Is very flirty." Monty admits. "But for all I know she may have a boyfriend too and just has a flirty nature. I definitely wouldn't be surprised if she had one too. Though, she seems like she may like to keep things light…"

"Yet, you might be looking for something more serious with a woman…" Lincoln guesses.

Monty makes another thoughtful face. "Hmmm, yeah, I…." He stops and shakes his head. "You know what. I should stop wondering about this type of stuff. I could be right about both of them. Or I could be wrong about one or both of them and their situations and intentions." He shrugs. "I don't know. I'm fine with being more focused on my career right now." He gives his brother a serious look. "Women will always be around…"

"And there will always be plenty to fawn over you…, because you are the best-looking Lattimore man in the family." Lincoln states again, laughing.

"And the smartest and most charming…"

"Whatever little brother…" Lincoln says, and the two men laugh again.

"Yeah there's time for more and all of that." Monty declares. "But for right now I mainly want to be successful at work, and I want both Mattie and Valentina to get along with each other. It's better for all of us if they do."

Lincoln nods. "Well, if the tension between them gets to a point, to where you feel you need to say something…"

Monty looks at him and makes a face. "Then I guess I will have to. But hopefully, they will learn to start to get along before it gets to that point." The two brothers talk a bit more and then order some food and enjoy eating it and spending their evening together.


	39. Checking In With Another Friend-Part I

**Checking In With Another Friend-Part I**

"Checked on Lily, the other day." Nate reveals to Elena as they are standing in Crimson Lights.

"She's definitely seems back to her old self, though I still want to keep my eye on her." Nate remarks cautiously. "To make sure she's not experiencing any lingering effects from her injury."

"Yes, it's important to make sure she really is in the clear." Elena agrees. "Because what happened to her was very scary and we are fortunate it wasn't much worse."

"Amen." Nate nods and the two chat a bit more about Lily and her condition. Elena then bids him good-bye and decides to leave Crimson Lights. As she leaves, Phyllis is walking through the door. They nod at each other as they pass each other.

"So, you had a nice chat… with Elena…" Phyllis asks giving him an amused smile.

"We were just talking about Lily and her recovery." Nate informs her. "You know ever since she suffered that attack, we've both tried to keep our eyes on her." A somber expression comes across his face. "Head injuries are no joke and sometimes symptoms can show up later, and we just want to do our part to make sure she's really in the clear."

Phyllis nods. "Understood." She lightly touches his arm. "And hey if you two weren't around, when she got attacked, who knows what may have happened…." She then shivers. "I just can't believe someone knocked her out cold like that." Phyllis remarks with a stunned look across her face. "Just knocked her out and left her bloody on the floor of the bathroom of all places…" Phyllis makes a face. "At Fen and Ana's wedding…"

"It's crazy right?" Nate asks.

"It's insane." Phyllis remarks. "And very random. Just wow." She sighs. "And they still haven't caught who did it."

Nate shakes his head. "It is crazy that this person is just out there running around somewhere." He sighs. "I hope they catch them."

"Hopefully, they will." Phyllis says. "But Kudos to you and Elena for helping Lily while the ambulance arrived."

"We were just doing our duty." Nate tells Phyllis and smiles.

"Yeah, well I really am glad that Lily is okay. Hopefully, things are back to normal for her and they will catch the creep who harmed her."

"Yeah…"

Phyllis then thinks and smiles again. "So, are you ready to get back on your journey…" She asks him.

"My journey?" Nate asks.

"Your Journey to find love silly." Phyllis teases him. "I know that things got a little derailed after what happened at the wedding."

"But now you can get back on track." Phyllis encourages him. "And I'm still here to help you." She promises him.

"Yeah about that, I think I'm just going to go with wherever the wind blows." Nate states, shrugging. "I'm content with my life for now."

"But you're a terrific man and you deserve a nice lady." Phyllis tells him. "You deserve a woman who is going to appreciate you. Unlike the other women you've been interested in the past. Like Abby, or Elena…"

"Phyllis, I…"

"No, we are going to find you that woman, I promise you that." She tells him.

"Eh… I don't know Phyllis… I just…"

"Nope." Phyllis replies shaking her head. "I've not accepting that as an answer." Just then Nate phones rings. He looks down at it and brightens up when he sees who it is.

"Excuse me for a moment." He tells Phyllis and steps aside to take the call.

"Hello?" He asks.

"Hey, Nate." The woman says on the other line. "I'm sorry I haven't really been in much contact with you lately." She apologizes. "But I heard about Lily."

Nate nods. "Yeah…"

"I mean my sister told me what happened to her and I'm in shock." The lady tells him. "Is she doing okay?"

"She's fine." He assures her. "She was attacked and took a pretty rough blow to the head, but thankfully, she's okay and is expected to make a full recovery."

"Thank goodness." The woman lets out a sigh of relief. "When my sister told me about that, that brought back memories…"

"Yeah." Nate nods. "I know. I'm just glad she's okay."

"Have they caught who has done this?" The lady asks.

He shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no." He tells her. "But the police are looking, and Devon also has people who are looking into things."

"Yeah, that is what my sister said." The lady responds. "She was shaken up by what happened to Lily." She reveals to him. "And she feels so bad that she wasn't at the wedding… But as you know we have our own drama with our family."

Nate nods. "Yeah, I know."

"Yeah it's been a mess trying to sort out mom's estate. And our family members are turning on each other. And are actually fighting each other…" She tells him. "I mean the drama is so bad, one of our siblings got arrested."

Nate nods. "I know which has kept you guys tied up." He sympathies.

"Which is why me and sis are trying to sort things out." The woman tells him. "She's more of the peacemaker than I am." She admits to him. "She wants to do right by our mother..., even though this whole mess with our family is exhausting."

The woman sighs. "And I know my sister doesn't want to really drag Devon into it." She states frankly.

"But he is her husband." Nate reminds her. "And you know he wants to help."

"Yeah, but she doesn't want to get him too entangled in our drama. Which is why she's been making some of these trips back home solo and letting him stay behind and watch over Kenny." The woman smiles at the end of the phone. "Who she loves like crazy and can't wait to get back home to see in a few days."

"He'll be happy to see her." Nate informs her. "He's already done some more growing." He reports to her smiling.

"Even more so than the last time I saw him, when Devon and he came here." She asks.

"Yeah at least little bit." Nate tells her.

"ooh, I can't wait to see him again." The lady remarks wistfully. "I would love to spend more time with my little nephew, and I haven't been in GC in a bit."

"No, you haven't." Nate tells her. "And we miss you around here. I for sure miss you." He admits to her.

The woman brightens up when he says that. "Really?"

"Yeah… of course I do." He confesses to her.

Phyllis ears perk up as she listens to Nate talking to the woman on the end of the line. She was also friends with the woman he was talking to and she was intrigued by this conversation.

"You've got to come back here." He tells the woman. "You should have laid roots down here, like I told you a while ago." He tells her. "You never did really tell me why you left town the last time." He reminds her. "I mean the last time before this drama surrounding your mother's estate happened."

The woman's eyes widen on the other end of the phone. "Well, I thought it was time to get away for a bit." She tells him.

"Hmmm…" Nate remarks not really buying her story. "Okay, well maybe it's time to come back for a bit. After you sort things out with your mother's estate, come back to GC." He asks her. "At least to visit." He suggests. "Maybe to stay." A thoughtful look comes across his face. "I mean you do have family here, your sister, your nephew. You made some friends here." He smiles. "Me for starters…"

"And me…" Phyllis says very loudly so the woman could hear her. "Tell her I miss her, and she was like one of my very few friends here." She instructs Nate.

"You heard that right?" Nate asks into the phone.

The woman laughs. "Yeah, I did, and tell Phyllis I miss her too." The woman replies. "And that I will get in contact with her, because it has been a little while since I've chatted with her."

"Tonight, call me tonight." Phyllis calls out. "We've got some things to discuss."

The woman laughs. "Tell her I'll try."

"She'll try." Nate relays to Phyllis.

"Don't try just do it." She states laughing.

"You heard the woman." Nate says laughing on the other line.

"Un-huh." The woman then looks at the time and realized she had to go.

"Well, I hate to cut this conversation short, but I have to meet with some people regarding business about the estate." She tells him.

"But I just wanted to check in on you guys and make sure Lily was doing okay." The woman tells him. "She always been decent to me, ever since I showed up in GC." The woman smiles. "And I just wanted to make sure she was okay." The woman pauses. "And if she needs any legal advice on what to do when they catch her assailant. I'm here for her. For all of you."

Nate nods. "And I know she will appreciate that." He tells her gratefully.

"Yeah, I mean it. I'm here for her." The woman tells him.

She looks at her watch again. "Okay, I really do have to go now." She tells him. "But I will talk to you later." She promises him.

"You do that." He tells her. "And you need to come back to GC at least for a visit." He repeats. "Come back with your sister, I would love to see you again."

"I don't know Nate…, maybe not this time around." She tells him. "Still tied up with stuff regarding my family."

"Well, as soon as you can." He tells her. "I would love to see you again." He repeats.

"I'll try." She tells him.

"Don't try, just do it." He tells her repeating Phyllis' words.

She smiles at the end of the line.

"I'll think about it." She promises him. "I have to go now. Talk to you later."

"Talk to you later." He responds smiling.

"Bye Amanda!" Phyllis yells out and Amanda Sinclair laughs as she hears Phyllis voice.

"Tell, Phyllis, I said bye." The woman says to Nate.

"Amanda says Bye." Nate says. They then hang up and Phyllis puts her hands on her hips and looks at him amused.


	40. Checking In With Another Friend-Part II

**Checking In With Another Friend-Part II**

"Well, how about that?" Phyllis asks amused. "It was nice to see Amanda reach out to you." She raises her eyebrow.

"Yeah, I haven't really heard from her in a bit," Nate remarks, a bit surprised but pleased that Amanda had called him. "You know ever since she went away, I really haven't talked to her that much." He makes a gesture with his hands. "I mean she did come back home for the birth of Kenny, but she didn't stay." He shrugs. "And now that she's tied up in her family drama, back in Madison, I wasn't sure when I would really get to talk to her again."

A thoughtful look comes across his face. "But she was concerned about Lily." He tells Phyllis. "And she wanted to make sure she was okay. And even offered her legal services if she needs it."

Phyllis nods. "Yeah, that was nice of her." She then gives Nate a mischievous look.

"What's that look for?" He asks.

"Maybe she also missed talking to you." Phyllis muses. "Her kind, caring handsome guy friend, who was one of her biggest supporters when she first came to town. And one of her first friends." Phyllis shrugs. "Well in addition to me of course."

"I do miss our friendship." Nate confesses. "And I wish she hadn't left, but…" He makes a face. "It's what she wanted to do."

"Was it though?" Phyllis asks and then stops before she says too much.

"What do mean?" Nate asks. "Amanda said she felt like she needed to get out of GC." Nate states. "She felt like things ran her course with her here." He shakes his head. "Now, I didn't agree with that and tried to convince her to stay…, but it was her choice." He touches his face for a moment thinking. "I guess after the stuff that happened with Ripley and Billy…"

"But that drama with them had been subsided before she left town…" Phyllis reminds him.

"Yeah, but maybe it had lingering effects and she just wanted to go back home." He shrugs again. "I don't know why she left, but I do know I miss her." He replies earnestly. "And I hope she at least comes back to visit."

Phyllis makes a face, when he says this. She thought for a moment about conversations she had in the past with Amanda and felt like she knew a big reason why she'd left GC. But she figured Amanda didn't want her to say anything about that to anyone else. Especially Nate.

"Yeah, maybe she will. It would be so nice to see her again." Phyllis says.

Nate nods and smiles. "Yeah, it would. I hope she comes back." He says optimistically.

"Yeah me too." Phyllis agrees with him smiling. They talk a bit more and then they get ready to bid each other bye."

"We're going out dancing again." Phyllis informs him.

Nate makes a face.

"We're going to find you a woman. And I don't care how many times we have to go dancing or go to some sort of event to make that happen." She tells him.

He shakes his head. "What am I going to do with you?" He asks laughing.

"Be grateful for me..." She whispers. He laughs. They then talk for a little more and then he bids her good-bye promising to meet up with her again later. After he leaves, Phyllis pulls out her phone thinking.

"I will help you find love, and maybe now that will be even easier than I thought." She then heads home.

Later that evening, Phyllis looks at her phone thinking about her conversation from earlier with Nate. She contemplates whether she should make a phone call. Just then her phone rings and she smiles when she sees who it is.

"Hello, girl." She greets Amanda on the other line.

"Hey Phyllis. Sorry, I haven't talked to you in a while." Amanda apologizes.

"Yeah, I know you've been entangled with family business and drama…" Phyllis states knowingly. "And I totally get all of that. I do." She says. "Though, you still could have kept in more contact with your girl…"

"Yeah, I know but you know how things go…" Amanda says on the other line.

"I do. And at least you reached out to Nate today." Phyllis remarks slyly on the other line.

Amanda makes a face. "Yes, I reached out to him, because I... well I wanted to check in about Lily."

"Un-huh…" Phyllis replies a bit skeptical. "But it's not like you were completely in the dark about her. Your sister and Devon told you about her."

"Yeah, but I just wanted to check in on her…" Amanda states.

"Which is why you called Nate."

"He is her cousin. And he attended to her after the attack."

"Yes, he did. Him and Elena." Phyllis tells her.

"Yeah, so I just wanted to check in on her and…"

"And it was nice of you to talk to Nate again." Phyllis remarks coyly.

"_Phyllis_…"

"What? I'm just making an observation. That's all." Phyllis insists smiling on the other line. "An innocent observation."

"You don't do a lot of things innocently." Amanda replies knowingly on the other line.

"Maybe not but… hmmm, you know I'm glad you felt compelled to call him." Phyllis states. "Especially after the conversations him and I have had lately about him finding love with a new lady."

Amanda makes a face, when Phyllis says that about Nate. "Oh, he's met someone?" She asks curiously. "I mean I know that things didn't work out with him and Elena."

Phyllis nods. "No, they didn't. He fell for her, but that situation ended up being complicated." Phyllis reminds her. "I mean you know. You were around for a lot of it."

Amanda frowns. "Yeah, and I wish, I could have been I don't know more helpful to Nate in that situation…" Amanda expresses sincerely.

"But you were, you were a shoulder for him to lean on." Phyllis reminisces. "Even though, you were also dealing and then coming out of your own drama with Ripley and Billy."

"Yeah, those two." Amanda rolls her eyes. "Big regrets there on both ends."

"Yeah, but you smartened up and found a way to deal with those situations."

"Ripley going to jail, helped." Amanda admits dryly.

"Yes, it did and thankfully you don't have to worry about him anymore." Phyllis comments gratefully. "But like I said you smartened up and tried to be there for Nate. You two became closer and you realized that Nate is…"

"Phyllis, let's not…"

"Why are you afraid of speaking the truth?" Phyllis asks.

"He fell in love with Elena and I had so much baggage. Still do with my family situation, and I just..." Amanda sighs. "He deserves a woman that doesn't come with a complicated situation." Amanda sighs again. "And it seems like that's what he's been getting."

"First him and Abby end up breaking things off, because she feels they are too different and then he falls for Elena and she ends up pushing him away, probably because she felt guilty about hurting Devon."

"Though that totally worked out for Devon in the end." Phyllis remarks. "It's amazing what has happened to him and how he's been able to get the family he's wanted."

Amanda smiles. "Yeah it did, but still Nate's been hurt multiple times by women..." She throws her hand up. "He doesn't need a woman with a complicated past…"

"Let him decide what he needs." Phyllis suggests. "You know even before I became friends with Nate, I always thought you two would be a good match for each other. And I still think you would be. And I know you think the same…."

"Phyllis, uh… I have got to go." Amanda says getting a bit uncomfortable.

"He may end up thinking the same too." Phyllis says. "He's open to finding love again. I've promised to help him find the best woman for him." She reveals to Amanda. "And you calling today, may have made that job easier for me…"

"Well, that's nice you want to help him. I hope you guys find success with that." Amanda responds a bit halfheartedly.

Phyllis laughs. "Right. I don't know how much I buy that."

"Nate's a wonderful man. And he deserves a good woman. And I sincerely hope he finds her."

Phyllis purses her lips. "I do too. And maybe she's right underneath his nose. Maybe she needs to tell him about her feelings…"

"Okay, yeah definitely time to go…" Amanda repeats again.

"I know how you were feeling about him Amanda." Phyllis tells her knowingly. "And if you still feel the same, you can say something to him. You can call him. Or better yet just come back to GC…"

"I don't know when I'm coming back there." Amanda says unsure.

"Come back home with your sister…" Phyllis suggests.

"I don't know Phyllis; I'm still needed here to sort out things with the estate."

Phyllis rolls her eyes. "You're just going to keep using that as an excuse."

"It's important." Amanda insists.

"I know it is and so is your happiness." Phyllis reminds her. "And I'm not sure you've put your happiness first in well..._ forever_."

Amanda sighs thinking about Phyllis words.

"You know I'm right." Phyllis remarks to her. "But I don't want to keep you too long." She shrugs. "I've got plans with my business and helping Nate find the best woman for him."

Amanda frowns. "You are serious about helping him do that?" She questions.

"I am." Phyllis comments firmly. "And since you have taken yourself out of the running, I'm going to have to find him someone else." A mischievous smile breaks out across her lips. "I've gotten to know Nate and he's a really good man. And he's become a dear friend…"

Amanda raises her eyebrows and a thought hits her. "Are _you_ interested in him like that?" She probes.

Phyllis turns her head to the side. "I care about him, but I don't think I'm his type. And we work really well as friends." Phyllis remarks honestly. "And I'm actually digging the single life right now, so no I'm not putting myself in the running."

"Oh…" Amanda remarks on the other line.

"You're relieved about that aren't you?" Phyllis laughs.

"Uh…"

"I wouldn't do you like that." Phyllis assures her. "Like I said I know how you feel about him. And you're my friend and I look out for my friends. Which is why I'm going to continue to bug you about coming back to GC."

Amanda rolls her eyes and then smiles. "Yeah, I can see you doing that."

"Well, anyways, I'm going to let you go." Phyllis says to her. "Since you have all of that family business, you have to attend to." Phyllis then smooths out her dress with her hand.

"But I am going to keep up with you and will be checking in on you again. So, this conversation isn't over." She warns Amanda smiling.

"It never is with you, Phyllis." Amanda smiles. "It was nice talking to you. Talk to you later."

"Talk to you later, girl, have a good night." Phyllis hangs up the phone and then smiles, hoping that she had planted seeds in Amanda's mind about coming back to GC.


	41. Shakiness and Speculation

**Shakiness and Speculation**

"You've been so jittery these past few days." Madison remarks noticing her roommate's behavior. "I know I keep asking you this... but are you okay?" She questions looking at Schuyler concerned.

"Yeah…" Schuyler insists a nervous look appearing across her face.

"You've been so jumpy…" Madison observes. "Are you sure you don't need to see the doctor or something…"

"No, No, No…" Schuyler insists shaking her head. "I'm fine Madison. I really am. You know it may just be..." She pauses trying to come up with an excuse for her behavior. "I don't know the change in the weather, and there is you know the flu going around."

"But you don't seem to have a cold or anything." Madison remarks. "Well outside of you shivering at times." Madison becomes thoughtful. "It started that Saturday…"

"Yeah, I mean it's probably just much of nothing.." Schuyler interrupts. She then tries to calm herself and smiles. "You know uh… speaking of that Saturday, I wonder if they will ever catch who ended up hurting Lily Ashby at Fen's wedding." She comments flashing back to that evening, thinking about how she had attacked Lily and then fled with the statue. Schuyler had driven away and went home shaking from what she had done. Madison had worked a shift that night and didn't come until hours later. Before she did, Schuyler had taken the statue, put it in a garbage bag and threw it in a dumpster in the back of a shopping center a few miles away. She had cleaned herself up and hoped that no one would discover what she had done.

Madison gives her a curious look and then shakes her head. "I don't know, but that's crazy isn't it?" She asks. "I do wonder who did that." She then looks over her friend and a thought hit her.

"Oh, wow is that why you've been shaky?" She ponders.

Schuyler's pulse starts to race and she begins to get very nervous.

"Whaatt do you mean?" She asks scared.

"I mean are you nervous because you are worried about Fen's safety?" Madison asks. "Is that why you're so shaky?" She looks over her friend again. "I know how much you care for him." She states knowingly. "Are you afraid someone is after him and his family and that's what got you on edge?"

Schuyler sucks in a breath and then lets out a sigh of relief. She was happy that was what Madison was thinking instead of thinking she was Lily's attacker.

"Yeah, that may have something to do with it." She remarks. "I mean Fen is such a good guy, and he was trying to enjoy his wedding, and someone attacked one of his family members."

"It's wild." Madison remarks. "But maybe I don't know... it was a crazed fan or something. Or maybe someone looking for attention." She then does a dismissive gesture with her hands. "Who knows what type of crazy it was…" She guesses. "When it comes to pop stars, wild stuff happens all of the time." She shrugs.

"Maybe it was something like that." She then thinks. "Or maybe it was just some random weirdo hanging out in the ladies' bathroom, looking to attack someone." She shakes her head. "I heard Ana was in the bathroom prior to Lily being attacked…" She looks at her friend. "You heard that, too right?"

Schuyler nods, trying to keep her composure. "Uh...something like that." She makes a face. "But at least she wasn't hurt right."

"Yeah thank goodness." Madison states. "Could you imagine how Fen would have felt if his new wife had gotten attacked on their wedding day. That would have been awful."

"Yeah, terrible…" Schuyler adds. "She's lucky she got away before the attacker got Lily."

"Very lucky." Madison agrees. "And it's weird that no one saw the attacker. I heard that the security cameras were turned off that day. Something about the resort deciding to update their systems…"

"That's so weird…" Schuyler interjects.

"But I guess the attacker is happy." Madison muses. "This makes it a lot harder to catch them."

"Yeah…, they are probably grateful for that."

Madison shakes her head. "I do hope they catch who did this. They deserve to be in jail."

Schuyler eyes widen. "Uh… uh-huh."

Madison then becomes thoughtful for a moment and looks at her friend and smiles. "But fear not Fen is okay." She states comfortingly. "As far as I know he's on his honeymoon right now enjoying the start of his marriage."

Schuyler makes a face and Madison gives her an apologetic look. "Look, I know how much you care for Fen, but you knew that wedding was going to happen…"

Schuyler sighs. "Yes, I know…

"And even an attacker couldn't stop it…" Madison muses. "So, it's probably meant to be…"

Schuyler sighs.

"But you can finally move on from your crush on him. And focus on you and hopefully find you, your own good man." Madison suggests. "There are some fine men here in town, many of them would be happy to get to know you."

Schuyler gives Madison a doubtful look. "Yeah, you know... about that, I think…like you've said before... I'm really going to focus on me and improving my life. Before I uh…try to get into another relationship."

Madison nods approvingly. "That's good to hear. You be the best person you need to be for you and then you could still end up with a good man and romance that you crave."

Schuyler gives Madison a shaky smile. "Thanks Madison, for always supporting me."

"Sometimes you drive me crazy, but I do care about you and I have your back." The two women smile at each other and Madison squeezes Schuyler's arm affectionately. They then continue to work during their shifts at the GCAC. While they are doing that some people start to arrive there, including Nick and Lily who arrive separately.

Nick smiles when he sees Lily enter the room.

"Lily!" He calls out going over to her.

"Hey Nick." She greets him warmly.

"How are you doing?" Nick asks concerned.

"I'm feeling a lot better." Lily informs him.

"Well, you look great." Nick replies smiling at her.

"Thanks." Lily returns his smile.

"Are you here to get some dinner, I was actually going to have some myself. You're more than welcome to join me…" He smiles brightly.

"I would love too,..." Lily tells him. "But I…" She stops when she sees Cane and Mattie and Charlie entering the restaurant.

"Am actually having dinner with Cane and the kids." She tells him.

"He wanted to spend time with us before he went back to London." She informs him.

Nick nods understanding. "Understood." He says. "But I'm glad you're doing better, what happened to you was really a scare…" He says thinking back to the attack.

"Yes, it was frightening, but thank you for checking in on the kids and me…"

"Absolutely. We were all worried about you. Man, I hope they catch the creep who did this…" An angry look comes across Nick's face. "I mean what type of sicko hides in a woman's bathroom to attack a random woman…."

Lily sighs. "I don't know. But I also hope they catch who did this." Her and Nick continue to talk as Cane watches them.

He turns to the twins. "So, your mother and Nick have gotten close since I've been gone?" He asks. Charlie shrugs as he looks at the menu. "They're friends." Charlie states in a matter of fact manner. "I mean I think they hang out sometimes."

"They have become close." Mattie tells him honestly. "Mom got Nick through a rough time after he lost custody of Christian." She informs her father. "They do like to spend time together."

"Well, I did notice how he was hanging around her, after her attack." Cane remarks. "Are they uh… romantic?" Cane asks a bit awkwardly.

Charlie lets out a laugh. "You're asking are they together?" Charlie says. "I don't think they are together like that." He puts his menu down and looks at his sister. "Are they?"

Mattie shakes her head. "Mom says they are just friends, but I have asked her about this."

Cane eyes widen. "Oh…"

The twins look at Cane curiously. "Why do you ask, dad?" Mattie probes.

"Just asking." He sits up straighter and gives his children a serious look. "You guys know that even though your mother and I aren't together anymore. I will always care for her."

Charlie nods. "Yeah, we know that, dad."

"And I just want her to be happy." He glances over to her talking with Nick. "And not get into a situation that's bad for her." He expresses sincerely. "I mean she's been through enough as it is. And Nick has a long list of flameouts when it comes to relationships, and I don't want to see her get caught up in that."

"Well, you could tell her that." Mattie suggests.

"Ah…I don't want to overstep." Cane tells his children. "Me and her... we're in a good place and I don't want to annoy her by bringing it up." He glances over at Nick and Lily again and Lily lets out a laugh at something that Nick says.

"I really do want her to be happy and careful." He then smiles at the twins. "But I know she's a smart woman and I know you guys would also alert me if she needed any help or anything."

"Of course." Mattie promises him.

Cane nods, thinking. "Okay, you guys keep looking out for your mother." He then smiles again at his kids and they talk some more, while they wait for Lily to come over and join them for dinner.

Lily finishes up talking to Nick.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from your family. But maybe sometime next week we could get together and have some dinner?" He suggests smiling.

Lily smiles. "Yeah, we can do that." She agrees. They smile at each other. She bids him good-bye and Nick smiles again as he watches her walk away. He really was glad that she was okay, not only because a terrible thing had happened to her, but because he had really to come care for her.

Schuyler is serving another table and became nervous when she sees Nick and Lily together. She was glad when Lily went over to join Cane and her kids.

Madison then comes out. "Which table are you going to next?" She asks her.

Schuyler looks around nervously. She didn't want to go over to Cane and Lily's table, but she also didn't want to serve Nick who had also sat down. She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees another customer, Kyle Abbott and decides to head over to his table.

"I'll go take care of him." She says and heads over to take Kyle's order. Madison notices again how jumpy Schuyler seemed and hoped that there was nothing seriously wrong with her friend. And she hoped that if it was that Schuyler would trust her enough to tell her. She goes and serves Cane and Lily's table and the two ladies continue to work at their shift.


	42. Revealing The Surprise Part I

**Revealing The Surprise-Part I**

_There is one of them_. Ana thinks pulling out one of the sets of lingerie that Abby had gifted her. It was the red teddy body suit one with the deep v neck. _How I did this miss this?_ She thinks to herself. She did pack a lot of luggage for the honeymoon trip and realized she must have overlooked this set. She looks through that suitcase to try and find the wedding one, but she doesn't see it. She figured maybe she had missed packing that set. _I guess that's what I get for bringing a ton of luggage on this trip and packing too much stuff._ She thinks and smiles. _Oh, well at least I can wear this red set for Fen later._

A few minutes later Fen appears in the bedroom at the resort.

"You almost packed up and ready to go Ana?" He asks.

She nods. "Just about." She smiles at him. "And I found something you'd like…" She teases him.

"What's that?" He asks smiling.

She lightly rubs his shoulder. "I'll show you later…" She promises him.

He nods. "Okay." He says. "And I have something that I'm going to show you…?" He also teases, thinking about his surprise for her.

"Oh, yeah?" Ana asks.

He nods again. "Yeah, but I will also show you that later. But right now, we need to get ready to catch our flight." Ana finishes up packing and they head to the airport. They had enjoyed their time in Greece together, and had taken a lot of pictures from the memories they had created. They had already started to fill up the scrapbook that Mattie had given them as a gift.

Ana and Fen had really enjoyed themselves and was looking forward to telling their loved ones about their trip. They relax on their flight home, chatting and enjoying each other's company. They arrive in the airport outside of GC and head towards their car, they had left there. As they are putting their luggage in the car, Fen reaches into one of his suitcases and pulls something out.

He looks at Ana and smiles mischievously.

"Hey, Ana…" He states.

"Yes…" Ana asks turning around after she had finished getting her luggage in the car.

"Can you wear something for me?" He asks, with his hands behind his back.

Ana makes a face. "Wear something for you?" She asks curiously. "A thought then hits her. "Oh, so you know I found it…" She says thinking about the lingerie.

"Found what?" Fen asks curiously.

A confused look comes across Ana's face and she notices his hand is behind his back. "I thought, you knew… What's behind your back?" She asks.

He smiles and then pulls out his hand and shows it to her.

"This." He says showing her the blindfold, grinning.

"What…" Ana reaches out and touches his hand, looking at the blindfold. "A blindfold, Fen…." She looks up at him. "What is this for?"

"For you." He informs her, cryptically. "I want you to wear it." He repeats.

Ana raises an eyebrow. "Why…" She asks. She laughs. "And now? Uh Fen…" She begins not sure of what Fen's plans were regarding the blindfold.

He notices her hesitation and laughs. "It's nothing to worry about, babe." He assures her. "It's time for me to give you my surprise." He tells her.

"Oh…" Ana says nodding. "And you want me to put that on, so you can give it to me?" She clarifies.

"Yes." Fen confirms. "And take you to see it."

"Oh, okay…" Ana says. "But can I put it on later?" She asks. "Can we go home first. Let's unload this luggage and sit down for a moment and unwind." She suggests. "And then you can take me to my surprise."

Fen shakes his head. "I need to take you to it now." He states firmly.

"Really…" Ana looks at him skeptically.

He looks at her again a bit amused by her hesitation.

"Yeah, now, Ana." He says. He laughs again. "You were pressing me to give it to you on our honeymoon, but now that I want to give it to you, you don't want it." He shakes his head. "Is this our first disagreement as a married couple?" He jokes. "No, wait that was about us disagreeing about Octopus being tasty...'

Ana crosses her arms. "It's not that I don't want it, I just uh… I didn't expect I'd have to wear a blindfold to get it. You couldn't gift wrap it, so I don't have to do all of this." She questions.

"Well, you know I do things sometimes a bit unorthodox, but it works out." Fen reminds her. "Especially when it comes to my surprises for you." He reminds her. "But come over here and let me tie this around you, so I can give you your surprise." He instructs. "Don't rain on this parade, wifey."

Ana sighs. "Uh… what did I get myself into...?" She asks and then smiles.

Fen's eyes beam. "I'm not asking you to wear this to lead you into trouble." He teases. "I'm not a pirate and am not going to make you walk a plank like they had people do a long time ago. Or in the movies, like Pirates of the Caribbean." He jokes. "You saw those movies, right?"

Ana nods. "Yeah, I did."

"Well, it's not that type of thing." He holds out his hand towards her. "I promise…, and I want you to trust me on this."

Ana gives him another look. "Oh, Alright." She agrees, taking his hand. They then get into the car together and he hands her the blindfold to put on. She ties it around her eyes and he makes sure it is secure. When that's done, Fen looks at her approvingly." "It looks great on you and it goes with your dress." He jokes.

Ana smiles and shakes her head. "I hope I don't look weird, but you said to trust you on this…"

"You look great as always, Ana." Fen compliments her. "And it's worth it…"

"Uh-huh…" Ana replies. "This surprise of yours Fen… it…."

"It better be good." Fen fills in, imitating her voice and they laugh. He then starts the car and they drive out of the airport parking lot.

He turns on the radio to Ana's favorite station. She leans back against the seat and rests, enjoying the sound of the music.

"I can't wait to go home…" Ana admits to Fen as they are driving. "The trip was great, but I just want to unwind and relax." She sighs happily. "And start taking over your place…" She teases him.

"_Our_ place." Fen interjects.

"Our place." Ana repeats. "I've still got to get used to saying that."

"You will." Fen responds.

"And you will get used to it too." Ana declares. "I still have more stuff to move in, but I will get it there." She informs him. "Some of your closest space is about to shrink…" She teases him. "You're going to have to make way for all of my shoes and outfits."

"I'll live." He responds smiling. They talk some more and then Ana sits up.

"I am so thirsty." She remarks. "I haven't had anything to drink since we've been on the plane."

Fen looks around. "And we don't have any water in the car." He observes. "You want me to stop and get you a bottle?" He asks.

She nods. "Yeah, if there's a store nearby." Fen then looks at their GPS. "It looks like a convenience store is just right up the road." He notes. "I will stop there." They drive a little more and get to the convenience store. Fen also decides to buy some gas. He pumps the gas and pays for it with his card and then heads inside to get Ana her water. While he is going to get her water and some snacks, he bumps into a familiar person.

"Fen, hi." Schuyler tells him. She had just stopped at the convenience store as well to get gas and a drink.

"Hey Schuyler." He returns her smile.

"You, uh... back from your honeymoon?" She asks curiously.

He nods. "Yeah, I am. I enjoyed it." He reveals to her happily.

"That's good." She says a bit nervous at seeing him again. Schuyler's attack of Lily at the wedding was still running through her mind and she hoped that Fen never found out about that. Plus, he looked so handsome and happy and she was still a bit wistful that she couldn't have a chance with him. But she tried to push that feeling aside and act normal in front of him right now.

"Well, I'm uh…glad." She tells him. "I'm glad you had fun…"

"We did." He assures her. He then rubs his hands together and gives her a wink. "And now I'm about to give Ana her surprise." He tells her.

"Oh, you're doing that now." Schuyler responds.

"I kind of have too." Fen laughs. "Now is a good time to give it to her."

"Oh, yeah…" Schuyler voice trails off. "Uh, is she with you?" She asks.

"She's in the car with a blindfold on…" Fen reveals to her.

"Oh, uh, okay…"

Fen laughs. "It's nothing weird going on." He assures her. "I just want her to be really surprised so I made her put it on." He informs her. "Though, she was a bit hesitant to do that at first."

"Well, uh she's very lucky at the lengths you want to go through to surprise her, with what is a very great gift." Schuyler responds, still wistful.

"Well, I consider myself lucky that she married me." Fen tells her.

"Uh-huh."

Fen then gestures towards Schuyler. "And thank you by the way…" He tells her.

"For what?" She asks.

"For helping me find the person, who helped make it possible for me to give Ana her surprise." Fen tells her gratefully. "She found something good for us. I think that Ana will love it… Well, I hope so." He expresses optimistically.

"Well, Sarah is a friend of mine and wanted some more business, and you came along and the rest is history…" Schuyler relays.

"She did a nice job. I appreciate her and you." Fen thanks Schuyler smiling.

Schuyler then smiles a bit touched by Fen's sincerity. She looks into his eyes. "You're welcome, Fen." She tells him. "Ana really does have a great guy on her hands." They talk a little more and then Fen lightly touches Schuyler's arm. "Thanks again." He tells her, getting ready to pay for the drinks and snacks.

"And if you ever need a recommendation for something like music or entertainment or even some sort of discount or hookup, let me know… I got you." Fen promises her. "Hamilton-Winters has some concerts coming up with some of our most popular artists. Maybe I can get you some discounts on tickets. Or maybe even some free tickets and some free backstage passes to an artist of your choice." He offers.

"Oh, uh thanks, I'll uh let you know if I'm interested." Schuyler responds.

"Cool, our list of concerts is up at our website." Fen informs her. "You should check it out." He then waves goodbye to her. "See you later." He tells her getting ready to pay for his stuff.

"See you." Schuyler answers, sighing heavily. She then watches as he stands in line. She stares at him for a bit more and then heads out of the store, shaking her head, at the wave of emotions that was going through her.

Fen pays for his stuff, and then heads out to the car. He gets inside.

"Well, you took a minute there." Ana remarks. "Long line?"

"Uh, I saw someone I knew from the GCAC." Fen tells her. "And I was just catching up with them."

"Oh, do I know them?" She asks.

He shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe... It's one of the servers that works there."

Ana nods. "Oh, okay. Maybe I've seen her around then."

Fen nods. "Maybe." He then turns his attention back to taking her to her surprise.

"Here's your water." He hands a bottle to her. "And here's some cashew nuts." He hands her a pack of them as well. "In case you want something to snack on, before we get home."

"Yeah, I could go for some cashews." Ana smiles. "You know I love my nuts." She expresses laughing.

"Yeah, I know how much you love nuts." Fen remarks. They both laugh. Ana takes a few sips of the water. And then Fen hands her the nuts, opening them for her. She enjoys some of them as they continue to drive.

"It feels like this drive is taking quite a bit of time." Ana observes as they are driving. "It feels like your place should be closer."

"Well, I do have to take you to get your surprise…" Fen reminds her.

"And that's farther away?" Ana asks.

"Yeah…" Fen answers in a cryptic manner.

They continue to drive and then Fen pulls into somewhere and stops the car.

"Are we here?" Ana asks curiously.

"Yes, we are." Fen tells her. He then gets out of the car and goes around to her door to open it. He helps her out of the car and grabs her by the hand and they walk on grass for a little while, with him leading her to a spot. They then stop.

"Okay, I want to show you now." Fen tells her. He then stands behind her and undoes her blindfold.

"Surprise!" He says as he rests his hands on her waist.

Ana opens her eyes to see what his surprise is for her.


	43. Revealing The Surprise Part II

**Revealing The Surprise-Part II**

Ana looks up and a surprised expression comes across her face when she sees what it is. She then turns to look at Fen surprised, with her eyes wide.

"Fen this is…it's…"

"Yes, it was the one you were telling me you wanted someday." Fen tells her. "You said it jokingly, but I felt deep down you were serious." He squeezes her waist and kisses her cheek.

"So, I got it for you. Well for us. I want this too." He laughs. "I actually needed this since…I decided not to renew the lease on my apartment." He smiles.

"This house is ours?" Ana asks again, surprised and excited. "_Really?!_" She looks at the two-story brick home in a neighborhood in Genoa City. It was lovely home that was located on a cul de sac. There were different types of trees including walnut trees located in the backyard. Fen and Ana had recently been talking more about moving in together, since they got engaged. They had talked about redecorating Fen's apartment and the subject of eventually getting a home together had come up. Fen had saw Ana looking at homes on the internet and she had mentioned that the home they were standing in front of was one she would like one day. She didn't expect that day to come this quickly though. She had thought they would live in Fen's apartment for a while before they got a house.

"Yes." Fen confirms. "I bought it before the wedding." He smiles. "I wanted to get it before another buyer stepped in and beat me to it." He laughs. "I wanted some place nice to take my new wife to."

"You're cool with this?" Fen asks. "I know you've never been a fan of my apartment." He tells her bluntly. "You've said you were fine with it, but I could tell you weren't a big fan of it. Or the neighborhood. I know you wanted something better and bigger, even if you didn't say it." He muses. "You visited me there, but I don't think in the long run you would have been as happy living there as you will living here."

Ana smiles and puts her hand on his face. "Fen like I told you, I would live with you anywhere." She assures him.

"But you still would appreciate the extra shoe space." Fen says. "And so, I would I." He jokes. "I've seen your shoe collection; it would get pretty crowded in the at closet at my old place." He tells her. "I wanted to give you more space, us more space." He smiles at her. "We're our own family now."

Ana smiles at his statement. "Yeah, we are." She agrees as the realization hits her even more.

They smile as they look at the home and then Fen takes his arms from around her waist. He takes her hand. "Well, let's go inside." He tells her. They head to the front door and Fen reaches into his pocket and takes out a key. He opens the door and they step inside.

"So…" Fen begins as they step inside the living area that had a fireplace. "I did get us a few pieces of new furniture." He informs her. "I mean like a couch and some kitchen appliances, a bed for our master bedroom." He tells her. "I didn't want you to come home to a completely empty house." He reasons. "But you still can decorate/rearrange, add things that you want." He promises her. "It's your home and I want you to feel comfortable doing whatever with it." He encourages her. He then takes her on a tour of the home.

"Here's the kitchen area." He tells. "And there's a dining area over there." He indicates. "We can use that to fill with people whenever we have family, friends over to entertain and eat with." He tells her. They walk through the house some more.

"Here's one of the bathrooms." Fen opens up a door and shows her one of them. He then leads her to another room. He grins. He opens the door. "And here's the master suite." He tells her. They step inside. "It has a full bath with his and her sinks." He gives her a tour of that area. "Here's the bed." He shows her. "I got us a bigger one." He laughs. "Like they liked to say on MTV's cribs, that is where the magic will be happening."

"Oh, and you'll love this." He says taking her over to an area of the room."He turns the light on. "A large walk in closet, where you can have space for all of your shoes."

"I love it." Ana says admiringly.

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about crowding me for closet space." Fen teases. They then continue to the master bathroom. "And you also have your own sink and space, here." He says.

"Good stuff." Ana tells him excitedly. They look through their bedroom some more and he takes her through the rest of the house. He shows her another bedroom on the first floor as well as a laundry area.

"Let's go upstairs." He tells her. They go upstairs where there is another bathroom and a couple of more bedrooms.

"We have four bedrooms in total." Fen tells her. "So, we have space for guests." He then gives her an optimistic look. "And you know when we have kids of our own." He smiles. "There is space for them of course."

Ana looks into his eyes and smiles. "Yeah." They look into those rooms. "I really like these vaulted ceilings in this house." Ana remarks.

He then shows her a few more rooms in the house, including a game area, with a billiard table.

"And this could be a family room." Fen says pushing open the doors to another area. "Or… a man cave." He suggests and laughs.

"Uh-huh." Ana says and laughs.

"Or the game area, can double up as the family area, as well." He suggests. He then shows her another room.

"And this can be an office or a study, that we can use when we want or need to get some work done." Fen states knowingly. "Some place we can retreat to when we want to write a song…"

Ana nods. They walk through the house some more and then they head back downstairs where Fen shows her the backyard.

"Look at these trees." Ana says admiringly.

"A couple of them are walnut trees." Fen informs her. "And our home is close to a biking trail." He reports. "So, you can enjoy quite a bit of nature here."

Ana sighs happily as she looks at the backyard, fully taking in that all of this belonged to her and Fen.

"I can't believe this is all ours." She expresses amazed. "You know I've always wanted a home like this growing up." She admits to him. "One that belonged to me. Growing up we struggled financially and…" She begins getting emotional. "I mean I know that Devon ended up getting rich and helped show me a nice lifestyle, but I always wanted a home like this of my own..."

Fen steps closer to her and takes her hands in his.

"Believe it." Fen tells her. "You deserve this." He assures her. He caresses her face. "You do." A thoughtful look comes across his face. "And I worked hard for this, so you could have it. So, we could have it. I wanted this for a while." He looks her and smiles. "All of this."

"I know, you have." Ana tells him. "I still can't believe this is real though. But I'm glad it is." They then talk a bit more and Fen tells her about buying the home.

"That's actually a good price for this home." Ana says when he told her how much it costs.

"I was recommended to a great realtor." He tells her. "And don't worry, I can afford this home. I've done well over the past couple of years, due to things like touring and my investments/business ventures are doing well." He informs her. "And Devon paying for the wedding, and the honeymoon freed up even more money." He nods. "And we can go over all of this in more detail when we meet with our financial planner to plan for our future."

Ana nods and they talk some more about that.

"We should get our luggage." Fen then tells her. "Now that the tour of our new home is over... and I know you wanted to relax and unwind."

Ana nods and a sly look appears on her face. "Yes, I do." She affirms. They get their luggage and bring it inside and start to unpack.

"I will be bringing more of my stuff over through the week." Ana tells him.

"Alright."

She starts to put her clothes away and admires the walk-in closet some more.

"There is so much space in here." Ana declares. "I can not only fit my current wardrobe but get a whole new one..." She observes.

"Yeah..." Fen says putting his stuff away. He then leaves the closet and heads back into the bedroom.

"Do you want to watch some TV?" He asks Ana with his back turned to her. He looks at his phone, thinking and starts doing some googling. "I wonder what's on tonight. Maybe a game is on or something?" He thinks some more. "I could check the TV guide."

"Yeah, we could do something like that." Ana remarks coyly. While's his back turned, Ana grabs some clothes and heads to the bathroom, smiling slyly.

"Maybe there is a good movie on?" Fen says thinking continuing to look at his phone. "Or maybe we can watch some Netflix. There are some good documentaries out there. He then picks up the remote control and turns on the TV. "I can find us something…"

"Yeah, we could do that…." Ana says in a sing song voice. Fen continues to think about what they could watch on TV.

"Hey Babe…" He says reading the summary of one of the documentaries. "Do you want to…?" Ana then opens the door, wearing the red body suit deep v neck lingerie that Abby had bought her.

"Or… we could do something else." She suggests coming out and standing in front of Fen. "I actually found one of the sets of lingerie that Abby gave me to wear for you." She then puts her fingers on his lips.

"You said this new big bed is comfortable, right… and that this is where the magic will happen…" She smiles. "You want to test that out?" She looks into his eyes. She then wraps her arms around his neck. "We could do that and it will also give me the chance to properly thank you for this wonderful surprise..." She suggests. "Unless you would rather watch a game, or documentary… and you're not in the mood." She teases, looking into his eyes seductively.

A look comes across Fen's face. "I'm actually kind of tired." He says using a serious tone. "I mean the trip back was a bit long and I just want to chill and rest during this first night in our new house. I mean… I think that would be a good way to enjoy our first night here." He looks her and up down and smiles. "You do look amazing though… but I…" He sighs. "I really am tired, and you don't deserve uh…half a performance…"

A perplexed look comes across Ana's face after he says that. "Oh…" She comments very disappointed and surprised. "Oh, I thought you would want to…" She shakes her head. "Okay, I uh..understand." Her eyes widen. "Netflix it is then." She takes the remote from his hand and walks away from him. "We can find something to watch…." She says turning her attention to the television.

Fen watches her for a moment, with a serious look on his face. He then bursts out laughing, after he couldn't keep it together anymore.

"What's so funny?" Ana says still a bit miffed that he turned her down.

"You _bought_ that?" He laughs. He steps close to her and smiles at her his eyes dancing with mischief.

"You were joking?" Ana asks surprised.

"Of course, Ana…" Fen tells her. "I can't believe you bought that half a performance line." He teases and rolls his eyes. "Come on Ana…I'm not going to turn you down… I'm not dead. Or _crazy._"

Ana shakes her head. "Fen you are... _oooh_…." She gives him a look.

"Yet you love me…" He teases.

She looks into his handsome face, still processing his joke. They look at each other a bit more and then she smiles.

"Fen I ought… to..." She playfully pushes him. He falls back and pretends to almost fall down. "What I am going to do with you?"

"You were so cute and sexy trying to initiate.…" Fen teases her. "And you haven't usually been the one really initiating., so I decided to play with you a bit. But I was just joking, Ana." He grins. "Of course, I want too."

Ana crosses her arms. "Really? Oh, Fen… I was trying to make you happy and thank you for your gift. I was trying to be a loving wife. But you want to play…" She then gives him her own mischievous look. "You know what? Maybe you should watch Netflix instead." She turns her attention back to the TV screen, looking for programs.

"What?" Fen frowns. "No, I would rather enjoy my wife…"

"Oh, look there's a documentary called Rotten." Ana says when sees the documentary. "I wonder what it's about." "This sounds like something you should watch…"

"Ana…" Fen says trying to get her attention. She pretends to ignore him for a moment. "Oh, this does sound interesting, we can watch this since I'm no longer really in the mood..."

"Ana…" He touches her arm. He then gently takes the remote control out of her hand and sets it down. He turns her around to face him. They look at each other for a moment and then she laughs.

"I got you!" She claims. "How did you like that joke?" She narrows her eyes at him, smirking.

"Yeah…okay I deserved that." Fen laughs. "But I was just playing…"

Ana looks at him and smiles. "I know." They wrap their arms around each other and kiss.

"And you look so sexy, in this…whatever type of lingerie this is…" He remarks grinning again at the site of her in the deep v neck body suit.

"It's a deep v neck teddy, body suit." Ana informs him.

"Uh-huh, well I really don't care what type it is, you look great in it…" Fen kisses her again. "And _out_ of it."

They kiss passionately and Fen pushes her gently against the wall. She closes her eyes as he kisses her neck. He kisses her lips again and she starts to unbutton his shirt. She takes his shirt off and rubs her hands over his chest. She kisses his neck and chest, rubbing her hands over his body. They continue to kiss, and he lowers one of the straps of her body suit, rubbing his hand over shoulder and kissing that as well.

Ana sighs and they hold onto each other as they kiss against the wall. They then move away from the wall and towards their new bed. Ana undoes Fen's belt and he gets out of his pants, revealing his boxer briefs. She smiles and places her hand on his behind. She gives it a playful smack and they laugh. He lowers both of her straps of her body suit with his hands and undresses her down to her navel.

He kisses her neck, and then hovers around her bosom and peppers them with kisses. He gently caresses and squeezes them. She throws her head back as he does this. He kisses there and then in between her chest and all the way down to her navel. He kisses her stomach for a minute and then runs his hand over it and up her body. He caresses it and kisses her on the lips again.

He then reaches and pulls down the rest of her lingerie and gets her out of it completely. He then pulls her body very close to his, and rests his hand on her bare behind. He caresses it and then squeezes it. They continue to kiss, she gets him out of his briefs, and they fall onto the bed together. Ana sighs with pleasure as Fen makes love to her again. She holds onto his tightly as they ravish each other and passionately make love in their new home. Once they are done, they lay against the bed smiling at each other.

"Well, that's a good way to enjoy our first night in our new home." Fen quips.

"Yeah…" Ana says laughing. She sits up a little in the bed and turns to him smiling.

"And the best part of having our own home is we don't have to worry about disturbing other people, with our passion." Fen jokes. "The apartment walls were kind of thin." He jokes.

"We weren't loud or anything." Ana replies.

"But in case we ever are, we have the privacy of having our own home and property." He laughs.

Ana shakes her head at him amused and then sighs happily. "I really do love that we have our own home and space." She rubs his shoulder. "This really was like one of the best surprises you could give me." She leans forward and kisses him again. "You really do give the best surprises." She remarks impressed. A thoughtful look comes across her face. "One of these days, I am going to give you a great surprise." She promises.

Fen grins. "I look forward, to that." He responds. "But I'm just happy you're my wife." They smile and kiss again, and then Fen wraps his arm around Ana, and they intertwine their hands. He kisses her wedding ring. They talk for a bit more and decide that they would also watch Netflix after all and continue to enjoy the peace and comfort they had in their new home.


End file.
